Steve O’Keefe finished the Pune Test with 12 for 70, the best figures by a visiting spinner in India © AFP
Steve O’Keefe might not strike fear into the hearts of batsman like Mitchell Johnson did at his pomp, but not since Johnson scythed through England at Adelaide Oval in 2013 has an Australian bowler dismantled the opposition as quickly as O’Keefe did on the second day in Pune.
Such was the observation of Australia’s coach, Darren Lehmann, who hailed O’Keefe as “exceptional” in delivering Australia a drought-breaking win on Indian soil. The last time Australia won a Test in India, back in 2004, Lehmann was part of the batting order; this time he was watching on from the dressing room, and liking almost all of what he saw.
From putting up a competitive 260 in the first innings to bettering that total in the second innings, Australia’s batsmen found a way to outperform their Indian counterparts on a highly challenging pitch. But the defining period of the game occurred on day two, when O’Keefe snared three wickets in an over and six in the space of 4.1-overs.
“An exceptional spell – I haven’t seen that since Mitchell Johnson in the Ashes with England in Adelaide when he tore them apart,” Lehmann said after Australia’s triumph within three days. “We took 7 for 11 and that obviously turned the game.”
Johnson’s memorable spell in Adelaide also began with three wickets in an over, and later in the same spell he was on a hat-trick, at which point he had collected five wickets in 18 deliveries. Johnson’s speed and aggression troubled England; O’Keefe’s accuracy and natural variations caused chaos in the minds of the Indian batsmen.
“Twelve-for, 6 for 35 in both innings is pretty special,” Lehmann said. “You always hope don’t you, as a player. I actually thought Nathan Lyon bowled just as well, to be perfectly honest. Nathan’s been under pressure from a lot of sources throughout the subcontinent, myself included. I thought he was outstanding in this game. He was brilliant, so both spinners did the job, but Steven was exceptional getting the rewards.”
Although O’Keefe was a clear stand-out for the Man of the Match award, Australia had several other contributors to the Pune win – none more so than the captain Steven Smith, who struck 109 in the second innings on a dry and turning pitch. Smith was just the third Australian after Mark Taylor and Damien Martyn to score a second-innings Test hundred in India.
“I think it’s probably his best, especially in those conditions,” Lehmann said. “I haven’t seen him so determined. He’s always determined – he’s captain of our country and plays really well obviously, but he knows conditions on that wicket [were difficult]. To make a hundred was very special, so that’d have to be in his top few for sure.”
Impressive in a different way was the young opener Matt Renshaw, who was playing his first Test outside Australia, yet handled India’s spinners with aplomb. He top-scored in the first innings with 68 and then added 31 in the second innings, despite struggling with illness.
“He hadn’t actually hit the ball that well in our lead-up, but for some reason when he gets out in the middle, he knows exactly what he wants to do and how he wants to do it,” Lehmann said. “So for a 20-year-old that’s pretty special. I think he’ll back that up in Bangalore.
“For him to come out, obviously a bit crook here and there, and to bat in different positions and had a clear plan, especially in the second innings, the way he wanted to go about it. That’s good for a young man to have that insight into the game so early.”
The early win by 333 runs gives Australia an extra two days to prepare for the second Test in Bangalore, where Lehmann expects a better pitch than the one offered up in Pune. He stressed that the key was now for Australia to back up their win come the second Test next weekend.
“I think the way we played, we deserved to win by that much at the end,” he said. “But they’re a quality side for the challenge for our group is to back that performance up in Bangalore. We’re not getting too far ahead of ourselves. India are a quality at home, especially at home I think that’s the first Test they’ve lost in 20 Test matches so they’ll come back pretty hard.”
Brydon Coverdale is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. @brydoncoverdale
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Source: ESPN Crickinfo