Turning Points

India v Australia, 2nd Test, Bangalore, 4th day

Cricinfo staff
12-Oct-2010
Zaheer Khan celebrates the fall of Ricky Ponting, India v Australia, 2nd Test, Bangalore, 4th day, October 12, 2010

Zaheer Khan celebrates the fall of Ricky Ponting  •  Getty Images

136.5 George to Tendulkar, OUT, 135.7 kph, And his marathon vigil ends. Peter George's first Test wicket. So many of you had predicted yesterday that it will be the new comer Peter George who will take SRT's wicket. It didn't happen immediately; it came off the 363rd ball that Tendulkar faced. What an innings this. This is how it ended: The ball was full and outside off, Tendulkar didn't move his feet, he just bent his knees and squatted for the square drive. The ball reversed in with the shiny side and he got a fatal inside edge. Fab knock ends. Tendulkar has propelled India towards 500.
144.2 Hauritz to Dhoni, OUT, 83.7 kph, Hauritz takes a wicket. Finally. He pumps his fist. Very quiet celebration. Dhoni went down the track and then lunged out to push it to the off side. The ball dipped on him and didn't turn as much as he thought. It clipped the outer edge and went to first slip
27.3 Harbhajan Singh to Ponting, no run, 85.4 kph, shout for lbw Very close. From round the stumps, it was flighted on a length around the off and middle and turned in. Ponting was on the front foot and pushed outside the line. It would have hit the middle and off stumps. Hawk eye confirms that it would have. Ponting survives!
40.2 Ojha to Hussey, OUT, 85.7 kph, Huss falls. The game turns again. It was from round the stumps, it drifted across to the off-stump line, dipped on a length and turned in. Hussey leaned forward to defend and the ball spun past the edge and hit the pad in frontt of the middle. The question is whether it would have missed the leg. It would have hit the leg stump I reckon. Let's wait for the replays. Height wasn't in question; it was hit well below the knee roll. Replays in. Update: "Hawk eye says it would have missed the leg stump.
59.3 Khan to Ponting, OUT, 135.0 kph, Fabulous innings comes to an end. Zaheer is the man who terminates it. It was the full delivery that landed on the off and middle line and straightened. Ponting went forward and across - perhaps pushed his front pad too far across- and tried to get his bat around the pad. Too late. The ball thuds into the pad. Was it missing off? Was it hitting off? Replays show that it would have hit the off stump. Indians roar in the stands and in the middle. What a knock this from Punter. It was a treat. Questions will be asked why Dhoni kept Zaheer out for so long. No questions will be asked about Ponting today. Remember, he had a second-innings average of 8.2 in India before this game.