Kumble hopes batsmen too will hit form

Qaiser Mohammad Ali

Mohali, Oct 16, 2008: India captain Anil Kumble is happy that the bowlers put up a good performance in the first Test and he now hopes that the batsmen will emulate their form in the second Test starting here on Friday.

“On Indian wickets, you definitely need a spinner to come into play, if not in the first innings then certainly in the second innings. That's certainly something we will look to cash in on,” Kumble, who is a doubtful starter with a shoulder injury, told reporters here after the an indoor practice session due to morning rain.

“Having said that, to win a match, we need to get big scores from the batters and every bowler has to contribute. I am really happy with the way our bowling unit is shaping up and I am confident that our batters will also come to the party.”

Left-arm pacer Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma bowled brilliantly in the drawn first Test in Bangalore, snaring 13 of the 16 wickets that fell.

“There were a lot of positives (from Bangalore). The way we bowled … restricted Australia to 400 on a good pitch. The fast bowlers -- the way Zaheer and Ishant bowled -- and I thought even the spinners controlled the game pretty well in the first innings, although we didn't get wickets. I thought we were in total control, the way the innings progressed,” he said.

Australia captain Ricky Ponting also praised Zaheer’s performance. “He was the stand out with reverse swing. And when it reverses the scoring rate goes down,” he said.

Ponting was not too much worried about the loss of his new ball bowler Stuart Clark, who is suffering from an elbow injury and will be replaced by rookie pacer Peter Siddle. “We are going to be competitive like any team,” he said.

"Peter has shown that he can use the old ball well in matches for Victoria and with Brett Lee good at the art of reverse swing too, we can do well with our pace attack."

Sachin set to make history in Mohali

Qaiser Mohammad Ali

Mohali, Oct 16, 2008: Sachin Tendulkar is set to erase Brian Lara’s record of highest Test career aggregate and also become the first batsman in 131-year Test match history to score 12,000 runs.

Tendulkar, 35, is just 15 short of breaking West Indian Lara's career aggregate of 11,953 runs, scored in 131 Tests. The Indian has played 151 matches and amassed 11,939. Lara played 232 innings and hammered 34 centuries while Tendulkar has batted in 246 innings and has hammered a world-record 39 centuries. The Mumbai maestro is set to play the 50th innings of his 27th Test against Australia.

Tendulkar, the senior most member of the Indian as well as the Australian side, is just two catches short of joining the 100-catch club. He made his Test debut on the 1989 tour of Pakistan and made an immediate impression with his exciting batting. He went on to captain India, though not with much success.

Sourav Ganguly, who will be retiring at the end of the series, will also be eying a personal milestone. The left-hander is just 39 runs short of becoming only the fourth Indian and the 33rd in the world to aggregate 7,000 runs. Interestingly, Ganguly, who is just below Greg Chappell in the all-time Test aggregate tally, could overtake the former Australia captain and former India coach in this series.

Harbhajan Singh, playing at his ground the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, could well become only the third Indian and the 22nd bowler in the world to take 300 wickets. He has played 70 Tests.

Australia pace spearhead Brett Lee would also be eying the 300-wicket mark in this series. He has 291 scalps in 69 Tests and he too is familiar with the PCA Stadium as he turned out for the Punjab Kings XI in the Twenty20 Indian Premier League this year.