Debutant Krejza keeps Aussies afloat with eight-wkt haul

NAGPUR (India), Nov 7: Debutant off-spinner Jason Krejza kept alive Australia’s hopes of levelling the series with an eight-wicket haul in the fourth and final Test against India here on Friday.

The tourists were 189-2 in their first innings at stumps on the second day in reply to India’s 441, with Simon Katich batting with a solid 92 and Michael Hussey on 45 not out.

India lead 1-0 following their 320-run win in the second match in Mohali. The Tests in Bangalore and New Delhi were drawn.

Krejza, 25, became the sixth bowler to grab eight wickets in a debut after Australians Albert Trott and Bob Massie, West Indian Alf Valentine, Indian Narendra Hirwani and South African Lance Klusener.

He finished with 8-215 off 43.5 overs – the most runs conceded in a debut innings. But his last five wickets came for just 15 runs off 26 deliveries in the afternoon, which helped his team restrict India.

“It’s still a blur to me. It’s still unbelievable. It’s incredible, against the best players of spin in the world, to get returns like that. I got my fields right with captain which was good,” said Krejza.

“It was an honour for me to be here in the first place. For me to play a Test was an even greater one. The wicket that will stick in my mind is the first, as getting Rahul Dravid out [on Thursday] was great.

“We have got ourselves into a very good position. We have two batsmen who are looking very good and have got us into a good position to win the game.”

Australia suffered a setback after making a decent start when Matthew Hayden (16) was run out, failing to beat debutant Murali Vijay’s direct-hit from mid-on at the non-striker’s end.Skipper Ricky Ponting (24) looked set before being bowled by off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, picking the wrong delivery to cut. It was the 10th time he had fallen to the Indian.

Harbhajan, who shared the new ball with Zaheer Khan, also became the third Indian after retired Kapil Dev (434) and Anil Kumble (619) to claim 300 Test scalps.

Katich and Hussey then denied India further success as they applied themselves remarkably well to put on 115 runs for the unfinished third wicket.

Katich has so far struck eight fours in his 120-ball knock.

India earlier looked set to cross the 500-mark following a 119-run stand for the sixth wicket between retiring Saurav Ganguly (85) and new captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (56) before Krejza struck.

The hosts were 422-5 when Krejza removed Ganguly and Dhoni in the space of three balls. Both batsmen were beaten by turning deliveries, with Dhoni losing his leg-stump and Ganguly edging to slip fielder Michael Clarke.

Left-handed Ganguly missed out on a rare feat of scoring a century in the first and last Test, hitting one six and eight fours in his 153-ball knock. Mohammad Azharuddin is the only Indian to have achieved the landmark.

Ganguly made 131 on his debut in 1996 against England at Lord’s.

There was no hint of collapse in the morning as India did not lose a wicket in the two-hour session, adding 93 runs to their overnight total of 311-5.

Ganguly, who scored a century in Mohali, extended his impressive run in the farewell series as he cut and drove fluently. He used his feet well against Krejza, once stepping out to loft the bowler over long-on for a six.

But Krejza came back strongly after the lunch break, sparking a collapse which saw the hosts lose their last five wickets for 19 runs.

The spinner was on a hat-trick when he bowled Zaheer Khan and Amit Mishra in his 43rd over before finishing the innings in the next over with the wicket of last-man Ishant Sharma.

Scoreboard

INDIA (1st Innings, overnight 311-5):

V. Sehwag b Krejza 66

M. Vijay c Haddin b Watson 33

R. Dravid c Katich b Krejza 0

S.R. Tendulkar lbw b Johnson 109

V.V.S. Laxman c Haddin b Krejza 64

S.C. Ganguly c Clarke b Krejza 85

M.S. Dhoni b Krejza 56

Harbhajan Singh not out 18

Zaheer Khan b Krejza 1

A. Mishra b Krejza 0