 | News |  |
HOME | BOLLYWOOD | MOVIES | CRICKET | DIWALI | E-CARDS | COOKING | BABY NAMES | JOKES | FESTIVALS | MOBILES | CARS & BIKES | ||
InDepth headlines national business sports cricket regional entertainment technology world travel autos health | in-depth coverage > India in Australia 2003-04 > Langer-led Aussies make Indian bowlers toil hard in Brisbane 14.29 IST 04th Dec 2003 By Manish Kumar 
Led by a brilliant unbeaten century by Justin Langer, Australian batsmen sent the Indian bowlers on a leather hunt on the rain marred first day of the first Test at the Brisbane Cricket Ground in Brisbane on December 4.When play was stopped due to bad light 28 overs short of the mandatory 90 overs, Australia were 262/2 in their first innings after being put in by Sourav Ganguly. Langer is at the crease on 115, accompanied by Damien Martyn, who is on 36. The first session of the play was marred by rain and only 7.2 overs were possible. But in that session India almost got Langer out. Ashish Nehra bowled a short delivery, which Langer pulled, but the ball landed straight into the hands of Akash Chopra who was fielding at forward short leg. Ecstatic were the Indian players, especially Nehra and Chopra, but slowly all realized that umpire Steve Bucknor had signalled it as a no-ball! In the second session Zaheer Khan got rid of India’s nemesis Matthew Hayden caught at second slip by V V S Laxman for 37. Hayden and Langer put up 73 runs for the first wicket. Australia’s future Test skipper Ricky Ponting is a well-known shaky starter, but India failed to capitalise on that. When Ponting was on 2, birthday boy Ajit Agarkar gave him three consecutive over pitched deliveries, which the Tasmanian drove straight down the ground for fours. Agarkar was much better in his second spell with the older ball and troubled Ponting with the older ball. A keen contest is always on the cards whenever Harbhajan Singh comes on to bowl to Ponting. Riding on the recent success he has had over Harbhajan in one-day cricket, Ponting didn’t let the Turbanator to settle down and even hit him over long on for a huge six into the stands. Ponting soon reached his fifty, but got out soon after trying to play his favourite pull shot off Zaheer, instead he edged it high up in the air for wicket keeper Parthiv Patel to take a simple catch. Ponting scored 54. Langer, who was aggressive in the beginning of his innings, calmed down and played sensibly when his partners at the other end were flaying the Indian attack. But as soon as the Indian bowlers got tired, Langer opened up again and reached his 16th Test century. The short-statured Langer, who also holds a black belt in martial arts, has already hit sixteen fours in his unbeaten knock of 115 runs. Langer not only played the Indian seamers well, but also swept Harbhajan with equal ease and aplomb. Tomorrow play will start 30 minutes early in order to make up with today’s loss and unless and until Indians do not make early inroads in this Aussie batting line-up then they are in for another bad day at work. in-depth coverage > India in Australia 2003-04 > |
Marigold (Review) The Last Legion (Slideshow) Chak De India (Review) Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag (Slideshow) Sachin Tendulkar makes Atherton eat his words Sachin Tendulkar joins 11,000 Test run club Sachin Tendulkar becomes third highest run-getter Sachin Tendulkar stills dreams about century at Lord's Tendulkar to go in Tests with confident frame of mind I am nowhere near the final stop yet: Sachin Tendulkar Sachin Tendulkar closes in on Waugh’s Test aggregate Aviva Life signs Sachin Tendulkar as brand ambassador I am unfazed by criticism: Tendulkar Sachin Tendulkar becomes first player to score 15,000 ODI runs Sachin's views on keeping Indian cricket at pace with times Tendulkar back into top twenty Entertainment Marigold : Movie Review When Salman and Ali Larter went Jet Skiing Ayesha Takia and Akshay Kumar in a supernatural thriller Sushmita Sen dating Dia Mirza's ex 'The Last Lear' selected for Toronto Film Festival |
