Going into the tour opener against Australia at Nagpur, Sadagopan Ramesh
was very much on trial. The selectors, in their infinite wisdom, chose just
two specialist openers amongst the 25 probables but the inclusion of Gagan
Khoda in the India A squad indicated that more options were being examined.
After making just 41 runs in three innings in last week's Challenger
Series, Ramesh must have known that the selectors would be taking a
microscopic look at his game.
The lefthander responded in appropriate fashion, carving out a fluent
hundred to authoritatively bolster his Test credentials. Getting a knock
after the Aussies were dismissed late on the first evening, Ramesh struck
three of the first six balls he faced to the fence to give the innings
instant momentum. He was equally harsh when Colin Miller joined the
proceedings, nimbly using his feet to repeatedly drive the spinner through
the off side. Ramesh moved swiftly to 43, of which 36 came from boundaries,
before the shutters were downed for the day.
On the second morning Ramesh took just two scoring strokes to make his
fifty, a leg glance and a pull through midwicket, both off Damien Fleming,
bringing up the landmark in only 77 balls. Next he turned the full force of
his attention on Jason Gillespie. The gangling quick was pitching
consistently short of a length and two more neatly executed pulls and a
backfoot drive through the covers, all in one over, suitably punished him
for the indiscretion.
Ramesh entered the nineties by coming down the wicket to loft Miller over
his head but slowed down appreciably as the century beckoned, taking 27
balls to get from 93 to 100. Going into lunch on 99, he finally heralded
the occasion with a single off Ricky Ponting, to a roar of applause from
the crowd. In reaching out to a widish delivery from Gillespie soon after,
Ramesh was caught behind for 101. Twenty stinging boundaries studded a
knock spanning just over three and a half hours and the impetus he brings at
the top of the innings could make the 25-year-old a sticky proposition
in the Tests.
