Cameron Green took just two innings to complete his maiden century on Indian soil. Only Matthew Hayden, Michael Clarke and Michael Hussey are the only recent Australians to have scored a century on their debut in India. Hayden scored 119 in the Wankhede Test in 2001, Clarke scored 151 on debut in the 2004 Bangalore Test and Hussey scored 146 in the 2008 Bangalore Test.
Still, an early day in whites but Green has ticked important boxes and added a hundred on Indian soil to his fifties in away series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Many foreign batsmen have not made an immediate impact in India. Even permanent skipper Steve Smith took five innings before reaching the three-figure mark in India and former Australian great Ricky Ponting got to take off his helmet only in his 15th Test innings.
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It is a challenging place to bat and the challenge was multiplied when the hosts bowled fiery turners in the first three Tests. Unlike his teammates, Green, who missed the first two fixtures due to injury, did not have many ghosts from the past as he managed only one hit in the Indore Test. And he looked strong the other day in that morning’s session with Peter Handscomb.
Many were keeping a close eye on Green and how he would perform in these conditions as he provides a lot of balance to the team with both bat and ball. His inclusion gives Smith five bowling options in both the Indore and the ongoing Ahmedabad Tests. The Motera track was the flattest of the four we have seen in the series so far, but scoring runs was not an easy affair. India stuck to tight lines even when nothing was happening on the surface or in the air. But Green picked his moments and bowlers and lived to his strengths in a very fluent century.
driving license
It is refreshing to see the cover drive as the most productive shot for a batsman. In a series where sweeps, flicks and pushes over mid-on have done the bulk of the scoring, the Ahmedabad strip allowed batsmen to operate in the traditional V.
56 of Green’s 114 came between cover and long-off, and he hit eight fours in the region. The cover drive was the most productive shot as it fetched him 37 runs with an astonishing control percentage.
After the huff and puff of the dusty surfaces, the crackling sound of the ball meeting the blade finally came back when Green creamed the delivery beautifully off the front foot. He was serious at any full outside the off and was mainly on the front foot during his innings.
As his first instinct was to come forward, the right-handed batsman got into good position for the drive and a dominant lower arm, along with great extension of the arms, allowed him to unleash immense power. Umesh Yadav suffered the most as the experienced pacer was thrashed by the young Australian. To be clear, Umesh missed his length far too often against Green, who was in no mood to shoulder the losers.
new ball loss
The game was well balanced on the first day as India dismissed both Steve Smith and Peter Handscomb in quick succession. The hosts had the tail up but Green took charge with Usman Khawaja scoring at a brisk pace. He completely changed the complexion of the game with that little cameo against the second new ball, which cost India 54 runs in the last nine overs of the day.
As bowling coach Paras Mhambrey admitted at the end of the day’s play, India allowed the game to drift with that spell and conceded too many.
“The wicket is good to bat on. It was difficult to score runs with the old ball. We let the game drift with the second new ball. We gave away a few extra runs with the second new ball,” Mumbrey said on Thursday.
Shares rise in India
Green’s stock has been on the rise in India before this series. He did well in a few limited-overs matches and became the talk of the nation when Mumbai Indians decided to spend Rs 17.5 crore in the IPL mini-auction in Kochi late last year.
After getting his man, Mumbai Indians owner Akash Ambani was in no mood to hide his excitement and walked around the press-conference area after lifting the paddle for the winning bid. The most successful IPL team lobbied hard for the Australian all-rounder and secured his services for the second highest price tag ever in the history of the competition. Ever since Kieron Pollard announced his retirement, MI needed a player in his mold and Green was the perfect match.
“Cameron Green fits our profile. We thought he was exactly what we needed. We were looking at young players. In the last two auctions, we have deliberately picked players who are young and give us the chance of a lifetime.” Some give more value,” Ambani had said after the bid.
A controversial term in this part of the world but Green is a three-dimensional player and brings a lot to the table, in all three departments, in any format. Quick reminder: He’s just 23.
For now, Australia will hope he creates some magic with the ball as it is going to be a long toil under the sun on a very flat surface.
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