Australia in control after Clarke makes daring debut

Australia 316-5 v India

An engrossing opening day, played on a pitch as slow as a bank queue, ended in favour of an Australian side rescued from its own excesses by an intrepid partnership between a seasoned campaigner pushed up the order and a newcomer who completed the journey from boy to man before our very eyes.

Simon Katich and Michael Clarke came together with their team tottering at 149 for 4 and India agog. By stumps, the tables had been turned so completely that the hosts left the field footsore and pondering their prospects.

Katich played the innings of the day. His father, a detective in the murder squad, must have been delighted by the calm manner in which his offspring went about his work. Taking guard after Matthew Hayden's first sweep of the tour had landed in the hands of deep mid-wicket to end a productive opening partnership memorable mainly for Justin Langer's struggles, the left-hander smoothly built an innings that settled the nerves of a team suffering from a bout of what Mr Greenspan calls "irrational exuberance".

An adept player of spin, Katich used his feet to counter the slow turn and also stepped back to ease through point. Rather than trying to break the skin of the ball, he placed it into gaps with old-fashioned ease. Nothing seemed to fluster him, not even the rash of wickets that fell in the middle of a warm afternoon.

At 124 for 1 the Australians had seemed to be moving along quite well. Dismayed to lose the toss on a pitch likely to deteriorate rapidly, Sourav Ganguly had fallen into pessimism, spreading his field and asking his young off-spinner, Harbhajan Singh, to bowl to left-handers with six men on the leg-side. Patently, the Indian captain was playing a waiting game. At last Irfan Pathan's efforts were rewarded as a yorker penetrated Langer's defences whereupon the Australian middle-order lost its head.

Starting an innings against top-class spin is not easy but Damien Martyn and Darren Lehmann have been around and ought to be expert practitioners. Accordingly, it came as a surprise to see Martyn darting down the pitch to Anil Kumble before he had settled and Lehmann swishing across the line before the danger had passed. Martyn was held at short leg, Lehmann at slip.

Australia had subsided to 149 for 4. Kumble had taken his 399th wicket in Test cricket. Katich was holding firm but could anyone stay with him? From the outset Michael Clarke, the newcomer, seemed at home in his surroundings and his first innings must be regarded as auspicious. Always willing to use his feet , Clarke unfurled his favourite strokes, some of them daring, many of them pleasing to the eye.

No anxiety could be detected in his game. He seemed to relish the challenge. It was the most captivating debut from an Australian since Mark Waugh scored a hundred in Adelaide. Clarke and Katich rebuilt the innings with aplomb against an attack menacing only in patches. Clarke reached 50 and celebrated by stepping down the pitch to lift Kumble over the boundary. Previously he had pulled a six off Virender Sehwag, whose presence at the bowling crease indicated his team's predicament.

At last a fifth wicket fell as Katich mistimed a pull and lost a bail. Australia had reached 256 for 5 and Kumble had claimed his 400th Test victim, a wonderful achievement. But the Australians were not finished. Adam Gilchrist and Clarke attacked with gusto in the last hour, adding 60 runs and ensuring that their team went to bed the happier.

* The Australian all-rounder Brad Hogg has been replaced by Kent's Alex Loudon, a 24-year-old batsman and off-spinner, at the County champions Warwickshire for next season.

BANGALORE SCOREBOARD

Australia won the toss

AUSTRALIA - First Innings

J L Langer b Pathan 52

M L Hayden c Yuvraj b Harbhajan 26

S M Katich b Kumble 81

D R Martyn c Chopra b Kumble 3

D S Lehmann c Dravid b Kumble 17

M J Clarke not out 76

* ÝA C Gilchrist not out 35

Extras (b4 lb15 nb7) 26

Total (for 5, 90 overs) 316

Fall: 1-50, 2-124, 3-129, 4-149, 5-256.

To bat: S K Warne, J N Gillespie, M S Kasprowicz, G D McGrath.

Bowling: Pathan 17-6-39-1; Khan 14-1-38-0; Harbhajan 28-6-105-1; Kumble 24-2-86-3; Sehwag 5-0-26-0; Yuvraj 2-0-3-0.

India: V Sehwag, A Chopra, R Dravid, *S C Ganguly, V V S Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, ÝP A Patel, I K Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, A Kumble, Z Khan.

Umpires: B F Bowden (NZ) and S A Bucknor (WI).