India have been outplayed and out-manoeuvred by Australia on the first two days of the second Test at the Chinnaswamy Stadium here yesterday.

Ponting beats Dhoni in Day Two moves at Bangalore

India have been outplayed and out-manoeuvred by Australia on the first two days of the second Test at the Chinnaswamy Stadium here yesterday.

As far as skill is concerned, the scoreboard tells the story. India has not shown the standard or stamina required to subdue a determined opponent. Losing three players (VVS Laxman, Gautam Gambhir and Ishant Sharma to injury had been a blow and the toss made matters worse.

Plain as day, the Australians think-tank intends to bombard Sehwag. It is a legitimate tactic. Cricket is a hard game played with a hard ball. In a way it is a compliment. Certainly it's a concession. Australia do not believe it can remove Sehwag in an orthodox manner, or not without taking fearful punishment. He is the most dangerous opener the game has known.

Accordingly, the Tasmanian set a field with only two men in front of the bat. The rest were sent to the square boundaries or else placed to catch fends and miscues. At once, it was a temptation and a trap.

Ordinarily, Sehwag does not pull, but he felt obliged to accept the challenge. Trying to clear the longest part of a large boundary, he stood aghast as the ball dropped unerringly into the clutches of a deep square leg placed exactly for that purpose.

Silence fall over the ground as the catch was taken. Bangalore had provided a packed and cheerful crowd that had hoped to see more of the intrepid ball-basher. It was a mistake by the opener, a defeat for India and a victory for an astute visiting captain.

Dravid's dismissal was also instructive. After taking the new ball, Mitchell Johnson had been withdrawn from the attack and Peter George had been given his first over in this company. As soon as the first-drop took guard, the left-armer was recalled. The Australians felt that Dravid tends to flash at fullish balls outside off-stumps early in his innings.

Ponting did not hesitate. The Queenslander was best placed to send down the required offering. Dravid succumbed. Two seasoned campaigners had fallen into obvious traps. Two vital wickets had been taken with the new ball. Ponting had everyone reason to smile as his players celebrated.

Contrastingly the Indians had lacked ideas and purpose. Mahendra Singh Dhoni let the game drift and was defensive in his thinking. Even on the first evening, he had allowed the sixth wicket pair to settle in against two part-timers. Now, he spread his field and concentrated on Marcus North's leg side game

The strategy did not work. North was able to take singles and flick the ball away off his pads to his heart's content. Certainly, the bowling was erratic. The Indian captain is a natural leader, but not a deep thinker about the game.