The second day of this last Nagpur test match between India and Australia almost totally belonged to the tourists, as India was first bowled out from a position of strength, and then the men from Down Under responded with a strong batting reply. And the chief protagonists of this Aussie revival were a most unlikely pair of Jason Krejza and Simon Katich.
The Katich and Krejza show began as late as in the second session, after the Indians had got to an almost impregnable position at 422/5. Krejza triggered an Indian collapse when he bowled the Indian skipper M.S. Dhoni off a delivery that spun more than he expected in his wildest dreams. The rest of them poked and prodded and in the end had no clue to whatever the ‘wily’ off-spinner threw at them. Sourav Ganguly was brilliantly held in the slip, where as Zaheer Khan, Amit Mishra and Ishant Sharma epitomised the true technique and temperament of the numbers nine, ten and jack. Krejza ran through them like a hot knife through butter, as India lost their last five wickets for 19 runs in around eight overs. The debutant ended the inning with a marvellous analysis of 8/215 in what turned out to be one-third of the total overs bowled by the Aussies.
Some critics may think that it wouldn’t be too off the mark to say that the Indians were generous enough to donate some of their wickets to the greenhorn. They may be true to an extent. However, having said that, it is not often that a debutant spinner spins such a web of discomfit against arguably the best ever players of spin bowling, that most of the batsman end up doling their wickets away to him.
The other point that gets raised here is about his absence from the tour ever since he last played in that oh-so-forgotten tour match at the start of the series. He was thrashed around a bit, and even before he had lost confidence in self, his skipper had shut the door on him and got Cameron White into the playing XI for the next three test matches. Irrespective of the results of this Nagpur match, it may sound ironical, but Krejza’s brilliance means that Ponting may have a lot of explaining to do after the series regarding his mysterious non-selection.
Katich was the other half of the Krejza-Katich show, and he batted with a fluency that one normally associates with Virender Sehwag. Despite losing his more illustrious opening partner in Matthew Hayden quite early, Katich batted with the confidence of a batsman who is born and bred on Indian conditions. Harbhajan Singh may have opened the bowling for India, bowled majority of the overs, and may have been touted as a dangerous proposition on a turning track, but had no effect on the ungainly, yet effective opener Katich. 
His fifty came off only 55 deliveries, and for most part of the inning he motored along without any fuss. All the talk of Harbhajan turning out to be menace was laid to rest by a combination of some classic stroke-play and stout defence. Sehwag’s deliveries were troublesome to an extent, but he saw out that period and ended the day with an unbeaten 92. A sleepless night or otherwise, if Katich does go on to get to that elusive – on this trip – century, it could go a long way in helping the Aussies coming out of a rut in this series. And if it does, the next three days of the match – and this series – could just be the ones to watch out for!