Krejza Turns Record Breaker in Debut Test

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NAGPUR: Off spinner Jason Krejza's extraordinary 8-215 on debut restricted India to a first innings of 441 against Australia on day two of the final Test in Nagpur.

After a wicketless first session, Krejza dismissed Mahendra Dhoni (56) then Sourav Ganguly (85) before scything through the tail to claim the second best debut figures by an Australian bowler, bettered only by Bob Massie's famous 8-84 at Lord's in 1972.

It was also the eighth best debut return in all Tests.

An accurate measure of the topsy-turvy nature of Krejza's effort came via the fact that his 215 runs conceded off 43.5 overs was the most by a bowler on debut, surpassing Omari Banks' 3-204 against Australia at Barbados in 2003.

Ganguly and Dhoni had added 119 together before a collapse of 5-19 allowed Australia to dream of fighting their way back into this match with a strong first innings total.

Krejza opened the bowling today so captain Ricky Ponting could swing his paceman around to opposite ends, and the sight of first-up spin nearly did for Dhoni.

Driving hard at a top spinner, he squeezed the ball off bat, boot and possibly ground, Dhoni eventually saved by the third umpire.

As far as chances were concerned, that was that for the rest of the session, Ganguly and Dhoni building their tallies sensibly and without resorting to the extravagances that cost several Indian batsmen their wickets on day one.

Ganguly lofted Krejza over the in-field a few times, and Dhoni essayed the odd reverse sweep, but it was essentially controlled batting from the retiring former captain and the confident incumbent.

They were separated soon after lunch when Dhoni tried to paddle Krejza around the corner and was bowled behind his pads.

Ganguly looked well on his way to joining the rare club of batsmen to begin and end their Test careers with a century, after making 131 against England on his debut at Lord's in 1996.

But Krejza struck the day's major blow by persuading Ganguly to snick a well-pitched off break that spun across him.

Michael Clarke took a fine one-handed catch at slip, and the exposed tail did not hang around.

Zaheer Khan aimed a big drive at another off break and was bowled via an inside edge, and next ball Amit Mishra was dumbfounded by a straighter delivery that beat his outside edge on the way to off stump.

Last man Ishant Sharma flicked Krejza to short leg where Katich held his second sharp chance of the innings, leaving the debutant to deservedly lead his teammates from the field after writing an extraordinary new chapter in the history of Australian spin bowling.



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