Australia’s champion seam trio — Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee and Jason Gillespie — suffocated perhaps the strongest batting lineup in the World Cup on Saturday, restricting India to a paltry 125 in a Pool A at SuperSport Park after the Indians had won the toss and chosen to bat first.
In a break from recent convention, Australia used Lee to share the new ball with McGrath and it was the blonde speedster who effected the early breakthrough, twice finding the outside edge to get rid of Sourav Ganguly and Virender Sehwag.
Then Gillespie came into the attack to bowl his 10 overs straight off as the Indian innings ground to a halt.
Between the eighth and eighteenth overs India hobbled from 41 for one to 50 for five. Only Sachin Tendulkar stood firm, but with wickets falling regularly, he was forced into his shell after taking 14 off McGrath’s fourth over.
Eventually Gillespie trapped Tendulkar in front with a slow off-cutter after the little Indian master had taken 59 balls to make his 36. He hit only two boundaries during his stay – two of them coming in that over from McGrath — but without his contribution India might have struggled to reach 100.
Gillespie was the pick of the Australian bowlers, picking up the wickets of Rahul Dravid and Mohammad Kaif in addition to Tendulkar at a cost of just 13 runs in his 10 overs.
The fall of Tendulkar’s wicket left India on 78 for six and it was quickly 80 for seven when Dinesh Mongia was caught in the covers as Lee came back for his second spell. Then followed India’s best partnership as spinners Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh added 40 for the eighth wicket with Harbhajan hitting four fours and a six in his 28 before he fell leg before to Bradd Hogg.
When the innings closed in the 42nd over with Darren Lehmann’s run out of Javagal Srinath, Kumble was left unbeaten on 16.
Lee picked up three for 36 in nine overs, with McGrath, Hogg and Lehmann all
claiming one wicket apiece.