Melbourne, Dec 28 (IANS) India’s vice-captain Virender Sehwag says India can chase anything less than 300 to win the first cricket Test after ‘the best bowling side I have played with’ rattled the Australians on the third day here Wednesday.
‘We fancy anything less than 300. I think it was a good day for India. The match is evenly balanced, any team can win it from here. We will have to really bat well to pull it off,’ Sehwag told reporters after the third day’s play at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Australia were 179 for eight in their second innings after restricting India to 282 from a healthy overnight score of 214/3 in their second innings. A total of 15 wickets fell during the day, making the series opener an exciting affair with Australia stretching the lead to 230 runs with two wickets in hand. The hosts hade made 333 batting first.
The wicket continues to offer assistance to the pacers and Sehwag said batting in the fourth innings won’t be easy.
‘I think ball is not coming onto the bat. There is spongy bounce on the wicet. The ball is stopping and coming, that is why you are seeing a lot of inside edges on to the stumps. But, rather than batting on flat tracks, I love to play on these kind of wickets,’ said Sehwag while referring to the dismissals of David Warner, Shaun Marsh and Australia skipper Michael Clarke on Day Three.
Sehwag, who made 67 in the first innings, acknowledged the importance of giving the team a good start in their chase.
‘It is important for us (he and Gautam Gambhir) to give the team a good start. And if we are able to do that, we have a very good chance to win the Test match,’ he said.
Indian pacers bailed the team out after the batting collapse in the morning session. Umesh Yadav continued to impress by taking four wickets, including the first three, which brought India back into the game. Zaheer Khan was on the money from ball one and was the man responsible for breaking the 115-run stand between Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey.
Sehwag felt the pace trio of Zaheer, Yadav and Ishant Sharma delivered when it mattered.
‘The captain (Mahendra Singh Dhoni) said to the bowlers just go there and give your best. The plan was to bowl in the right areas and let the pitch do the rest. The first spell from Umesh was brilliant and Ashwin (Ravichandran) also bowled well through the day. He kept one end tight,’ he said.
Asked about the current bowling attack, Sehwag said: ‘They all bowl at good pace and I think this is the best Indian bowling line-up I have playd with.’
