India vs Australia, 2nd Test: Mahendra Singh Dhoni makes presence felt

Then came his next command.

“Tujhe agar wahan daalne hai toh mujhe koi problem nahi hai,” he said, pointing towards the empty cover region. Ishant paused, nodded his head and walked back to his mark as Dhoni quickly summoned Rohit Sharma from the long-leg fence and posted him at cover. At this stage, he had set an 8-1 off-side field, with the only man on the on-side at a slightly wide mid-on. It was an odd field but an ingenious one. It meant Ishant had to slant the ball across the left-hander, but it also gave Rogers a chance to walk across his crease in a bid to tuck the lanky pacer towards the vacant fine-leg, and also in lieu set him up for lbw.

It was not the only left field idea that Dhoni would adopt on the second day’s play of the Gabba Test, his first day as fielding captain on tour. He would have three slips and two gullies for his express pacemen, with a silly-point and a leg-gully for added measure on occasions. He would keep in-out fields for R Ashwin, and a cordon of catchers from short-leg, leg-slip and short mid-wicket for the off-spinner.

In between all this, Dhoni was also everywhere on the field. Chasing down balls to fine-leg, bellowing out instructions to his bowlers when not indulging them in one-on-one sessions in the middle and at times also playing to the stump camera.

Dhoni the captain is never short of criticism. There’s never a dearth of detractors questioning his laconic approach to leading a Test team, and his apparent lack of intent when it comes to utilising his fielders. But on Thursday at the Gabba, Dhoni was proactive. He was astute and at the same time adventurous. He finally had a bowling attack that looked primed to give him wickets. And he seemed to be enjoying it.

It showed in the results too, as India asserted their command over the second Test by first finishing up with 408 before reducing Australia to 221/4 by the time the storm warnings that had threatened to disrupt play all day long finally came afoot.

It was Dhoni the batsman who was responsible for India pushing past 400 earlier in the day, after another lower-order collapse had somewhat undone the hard-work of Murali Vijay and Ajinkya Rahane. He found able support from Ashwin at the other end as the two men who missed out on the Adelaide Test due to different reasons set about resurrecting the Indian innings. They added 57 for the seventh wicket, with Ashwin finding the boundary with consummate ease and earning comparisons with that old Australian scourge, VVS Laxman, for his style of batting.

A valuable partnership

Their partnership also proved just how valuable they are to this team, and probably what India missed in the first Test. As it turned out, Dhoni would turn to Ashwin again, in the field this time after his new-ball bowlers had steamed in and tired themselves out in the searing heat of Brisbane—which to its credit seemed to exhibit more mercy than it had on Wednesday.

This was a crucial outing for Ashwin in more ways than one. He had ended the England tour on a promising note with spells of note in the last two Tests. Then on a pitch where Nathan Lyon ran through India and made merry in the rough, Ashwin had been confined to the bench. Many felt that the Gabba wasn’t the right surface to bring him in. After all the only spinner who’s tasted any success here is Shane Warne with no finger spinner having anything of note.

(Also Read: I will fancy my chances on Day 3, says Ashwin)

But from his very first over of the day, Ashwin seemed to know exactly what was required at the Gabba. He was accurate. He was crafty. He gave the ball air, and got it to dip, and he also varied his lines and angles skillfully. One of the main reasons why Dhoni could keep up the pressure with his fast bowlers from one end was the consistency of Ashwin from the other.

Ashwin also seemed to have done away with the customary bar-tendering in his delivery stride, and the ball hardly touched his left hand, instead remaining lodged in the right, and coming out of it with nice loop. There were times he got it wrong, pitching it too short, and allowing the Aussies to get away. “Nahiii Ashh,” would come the response from behind the stumps on each occasion he did that.

After a testing first over to Rogers, Ashwin moved to Shane Watson. He kept mid-on in the circle, challenging the big-hitting right-hander to chance his arm. Watson fell for the bait, was beaten in the flight, and scooped it to Shikhar Dhawan, a man who has a history of on-field spats with this particular Aussie.

“I visualised Shane Watson’s dismissal in such a manner, that he would flat-bat it to mid-off or mid-on. He wants to hit the ball straight. I thought I could be a little quickish and beat him in the flight. That worked,” Ashwin would explain later.

It was one of the many plans that fell into place for India on a day that their skipper found a new gear and his voice back.