Cricket

India vs Australia 2nd Test, Melbourne, December 26 – 30, 1999

India vs Australia 2nd Test Melbourne 1999: Cricket is not just a sport in India, but an emotion. India’s tour of Australia in 1999 was historic, and the 2nd Test match held in Melbourne from December 26-30, 1999, was a match for the ages. The match had everything: high-quality batting, bowling, and fielding from both sides, resulting in an intense battle between India and Australia. In this article, we will take a look at the details of the match and its impact on Indian cricket.

The Background of the Match – India vs Australia 2nd Test Melbourne 1999

Before we dive into the match, let’s have a look at the background leading to the Melbourne Test. India was facing Australia in a 3-match test series in Australia. The first Test was held in Adelaide, which ended in a draw. India was determined to bounce back and put up a strong fight in the second Test.

Australia’s 1st Innings

Australia won the toss and elected to bat first. Their opening pair, Greg Blewett and Michael Slater, walked out to the pitch to face the Indian bowling attack, which was led by Javagal Srinath, Ajit Agarkar, and Venkatesh Prasad.

Fall of Wickets

The Australian batting lineup lost its first wicket early on, with Greg Blewett getting bowled by Javagal Srinath for just 2 runs. Justin Langer was the next to go, getting lbw to Srinath for 8 runs. Mark Waugh was dismissed lbw by Agarkar for 41 runs. The captain, Steve Waugh, was caught by MSK Prasad off Prasad’s bowling for 32 runs. Ricky Ponting was the next to fall, getting lbw to Srinath for 67 runs. Adam Gilchrist scored a magnificent 78 runs before being caught by Sourav Ganguly off Agarkar’s bowling. Shane Warne, Damien Fleming, Brett Lee, and Glenn McGrath scored 2, 31*, 27, and 1 run(s), respectively.

Scorecard

Australia put up a total of 405 runs on the board, with Michael Slater scoring the highest, 91 runs. Adam Gilchrist was the next highest scorer with 78 runs. Javagal Srinath was the pick of the Indian bowlers, taking 4 wickets for 130 runs. Ajit Agarkar and Venkatesh Prasad also contributed to the bowling attack, taking 3 and 2 wickets, respectively.

Fall of Wickets

The Australian innings lasted for 118.1 overs and came to an end when Glenn McGrath was run out by Kanitkar. The fall of wickets for Australia is as follows: 1-4 (Greg Blewett, 2.2 ov), 2-28 (Justin Langer, 10.2 ov), 3-123 (Mark Waugh, 38.4 ov), 4-192 (Michael Slater, 62.4 ov), 5-197 (Steve Waugh, 64.4 ov), 6-341 (Adam Gilchrist, 96.4 ov), 7-343 (Ricky Ponting, 97.6 ov), 8-345 (Shane Warne, 98.6 ov), 9-404 (Brett Lee, 116.6 ov), 10-405 (Glenn McGrath, 118.1 ov).

India’s 1st Innings

After the Australian innings, it was time for India to bat. India had a poor start to their first innings, losing both openers, VVS Laxman and Sadagoppan Ramesh, cheaply. Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, and Sourav Ganguly all struggled to find their rhythm, with only Tendulkar managing to make a significant contribution.

Tendulkar, who was captaining the side, batted brilliantly to score 116 runs from 191 balls, including nine fours and a six. He received some support from Ganguly, who scored 31 runs, but the rest of the Indian batting lineup failed to contribute much. Brett Lee was the pick of the Australian bowlers, taking five wickets for just 47 runs in his 18 overs.

India was eventually bowled out for 238 runs in 76.1 overs, with Glenn McGrath and Lee taking three wickets each. Shane Warne and Damien Fleming also chipped in with a wicket apiece.

The Indian innings lasted for almost 350 minutes, with the team scoring at a run rate of just 3.12. They lost wickets at regular intervals, with their highest partnership of the innings being between Tendulkar and Ganguly, who added 77 runs for the fourth wicket.

Overall, it was a disappointing batting display by India, and they knew they had a tough task ahead of them to defend such a modest total against a strong Australian batting lineup.

Australia’s 2nd Innings

In the second innings of the match, Australia batted for a total of 59 overs, with a run rate of 3.52 and a duration of 263 minutes. They managed to score a total of 208 runs for the loss of 5 wickets, after which they declared their innings. The team had a strong performance, with several players making significant contributions to the score. The Australian team displayed excellent teamwork and coordination, and their batting lineup was able to withstand the bowling attack from the Indian team. (TOTAL 59 Overs, (RR: 3.52, 263 Mins) 208 runs for 5 wickets & declared).

Adam Gilchrist scored 55 runs, while Mark Waugh remained not out on 51 runs during Australia’s second innings.

During Australia’s second innings, Michael Slater was the first to fall, scoring only 3 runs off 7 balls before being dismissed by Ajit Agarkar in the 3.2 overs. Justin Langer followed with 9 runs off 26 balls, caught by MSK Prasad and bowled by Agarkar in the 13.2 overs. Greg Blewett scored 31 runs off 97 balls before being caught by Ganguly and bowled by Anil Kumble in the 31.2 overs. Adam Gilchrist, who was the highest scorer for Australia in this innings, made 55 runs off 73 balls before being caught by Srinath and bowled by Kumble in the 35.3 overs. Steve Waugh was the last wicket to fall, making 32 runs off 41 balls and was caught leg before wicket by Agarkar in the 48.2 overs.

The bowling attack from India in the second innings

Consisted of Javagal Srinath, Ajit Agarkar, Venkatesh Prasad, and Anil Kumble. Srinath bowled 14 overs, conceded 45 runs, but failed to take any wickets. Agarkar bowled 17 overs, conceded 51 runs, and took 3 wickets with an economy rate of 3.00. Prasad bowled 10 overs, conceded 38 runs, but failed to take any wickets. Kumble bowled 18 overs, conceded 72 runs, and took 2 wickets with an economy rate of 4.00.

India’s 2nd Innings

ndia’s 2nd innings score was 195 runs for the loss of 8 wickets in 89.3 overs (RR: 2.17, 371 Mins), with a target of 376 runs to win.

VVS Laxman was dismissed for 1 run off 16 balls by Fleming, while Sadagoppan Ramesh retired hurt after scoring 26 runs off 69 balls. Rahul Dravid was caught by Gilchrist off Lee’s bowling after scoring 14 runs off 109 balls.

Sachin Tendulkar, who was leading the team, was lbw by Warne after scoring 52 runs off 122 balls with 4 fours. Sourav Ganguly was bowled by Blewett after scoring 17 runs off 39 balls with 2 fours.

Hrishikesh Kanitkar was lbw by Fleming after scoring 45 runs off 78 balls with 6 fours. Mannava Prasad was caught by Warne off ME Waugh’s bowling after scoring 13 runs off 29 balls.

Ajit Agarkar was dismissed for a duck by ME Waugh after facing just one ball. Anil Kumble was run out by a combined effort from SR Waugh and Fleming after scoring 13 runs off 55 balls.

Javagal Srinath was caught by Warne off Lee’s bowling after scoring just one run off 5 balls. Venkatesh Prasad remained not out on 6 runs off 17 balls. The innings included 4 extras, comprising 4 leg byes and 3 no-balls.

Australia’s Bowling in 2nd Innings

In the second innings of the match, the Australian bowling attack was led by Glenn McGrath, Damien Fleming, Shane Warne, Brett Lee, Greg Blewett, and Mark Waugh.

McGrath and Lee bowled with great control and economy, keeping the Indian batsmen under pressure with their accurate bowling. Fleming also bowled tightly and picked up two important wickets.

Warne, despite not taking many wickets, was able to contain the Indian batsmen with his variations in spin and flight. Blewett and Waugh also chipped in with a wicket each.

Overall, the Australian bowling attack performed well as a unit in the second innings, bowling with discipline and making it difficult for the Indian batsmen to score freely. As a result Indian team bowled out for 195 Runs & Australia won the match.