The Second Test in the Indian cricket team's tour of Australia for the 2007–08 summer was a Test cricket match played over five days at the Sydney Cricket Ground from 2 to 6 January 2008. Australia won the match by 122 runs with minutes to spare at the end of the fifth day.
The match attained notoriety owing to the number of controversial umpiring decisions given by international umpires Steve Bucknor and Mark Benson and accusations of poor sportsmanship against Australian players and Harbhajan Singh. However, twelve years after the match in 2020, in a podcast on Sky Cricket, Ricky Ponting admitted that India got the "raw end of umpiring decisions" and acknowledged that some key umpiring decisions went against India in the match. In July 2020, Steve Bucknor, who was one of the field umpires in the match, said that he made two mistakes which cost India the match.. The match ended in a dramatic defeat of the Indian team in the final ten minutes of the five-day match, with some commentators suggesting that the umpiring mistakes had a major impact on the course of the match.
The result ensured that Australia retained the Border–Gavaskar Trophy, as well as taking Ricky Ponting's team to 16 consecutive Test wins, equalling the previous Test record, also held by Australia under Steve Waugh. The controversy was termed by parts of the media as Bollyline, a reference to the 1930s controversy Bodyline. The name, a portmanteau of Bodyline and Bollywood, is tongue in cheek, but by referencing Bodyline, hints at the potential seriousness of the rift between the Indians and Australians. Indeed, according to Steve Waugh, the affair "now has the potential to affect relations between the countries".
Controversies abounded; as well as the multiple umpiring incidents that were placed in the spotlight by the narrowness of the victory, Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh was charged with racial abuse in an altercation with Andrew Symonds. Harbhajan was banned by the match referee Mike Procter for three Test matches although the charges were downgraded on 29 January 2008 to the lesser charge of using abusive language and the ban was lifted. The Indian team had earlier protested and threatened to pull out of the tour. The match produced bitterness on both sides and an announcement by the Indian team that they would abandon their tour, followed by dramatic intervention by the International Cricket Council (ICC).
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Context
Australia had won the first Test played the previous week at the Melbourne Cricket Ground by a margin of 337 runs, needing only four days to secure victory. Australia were seeking a 16th consecutive Test win to equal the record set by Steve Waugh's team between late-1999 and early-2001.
The first match, which was also Saurav Ganguly's 100th match, had led to media consternation about the appropriateness of India's batting strategy. Rahul Dravid had been promoted up the batting order from number three to open along with Wasim Jaffer, while regular opener Dinesh Karthik was dropped prior to the first Test. This was done to create a middle-order vacancy for Yuvraj Singh, who had scored a century in India's previous Test, when he substituted for the injured Sachin Tendulkar. During the first Test, both Dravid and Jaffer failed to pass 20 in either innings, with the former attracting attention for his particularly slow and defensive approach. This allowed the Australian bowling to assert control over the Indian batsmen from the outset and prevent them from gaining the momentum at the outset. Yuvraj also failed; he was particularly fidgety in scoring 0 and 5. The failures of the rearranged line-up prompted calls for the return of Virender Sehwag, who had been taken on tour as the reserve opener. Sehwag had been dropped from the side in early-2007 and had been unproductive in recent Ranji Trophy matches in India; however, his extremely aggressive approach had been successful against Australia in the past and cricket pundits felt that he could counter-attack the Australian bowlers, rather than letting their new ball attack seize the initiative. Jaffer, Dravid and Yuvraj were all mooted as possible omissions to make way for Sehwag. Australia fielded an unchanged XI, whereas India made one change: the injured Zaheer Khan was replaced by fellow paceman Ishant Sharma, a 19-year-old playing in his third Test match.
The match was preceded by speculation as to how attractive the play would be. The first Test was played on a pitch that was slow and somewhat irregular in behaviour, and the commentators were optimistic that the second Test would lead to more attractive batting, particularly from the Indians, who had amassed 7/705 and 2/211 in their previous outing in 2003–04. Tendulkar (148* in 1991–92, 241* in 2003–04) and V. V. S. Laxman (167 in 1999–2000, 178 in 2003–04) had both scored much-lauded Test centuries at the ground.
Scorecard
Match officials On-field umpires: Steve Bucknor (WI) and Mark Benson (Eng) TV umpire: Bruce Oxenford (Aus) Reserve umpire: Rod Tucker (Aus) Match referee: Mike Procter (SA)
Summary
Australian innings First Innings Second Innings Batsman Method of dismissal Runs Method of dismissal Runs Phil Jaques c Dhoni b R. P. Singh 0 c Yuvraj Singh b Kumble 42 Matthew Hayden c Tendulkar b R. P. Singh 13 c Jaffer b Kumble 123 * Ricky Ponting lbw b Harbhajan Singh 55 c Laxman b Harbhajan Singh 1 Michael Hussey c Tendulkar b R. P. Singh 41 not out 145 Michael Clarke lbw b Harbhajan Singh 1 c Dravid b Kumble 0 Andrew Symonds not out 162 c Dhoni b R. P. Singh 61 + Adam Gilchrist c Tendulkar b R. P. Singh 7 c Yuvraj Singh b Kumble 1 Brad Hogg c Dravid b Kumble 79 c Dravid b Harbhajan Singh 1 Brett Lee lbw b Kumble 59 not out 4 Mitchell Johnson c Ganguly b Kumble 28 – Stuart Clark lbw b Kumble 0 – Extras 18 23 Total (112.3 overs) 463 (7 wickets declared; 107 overs) 401 First Innings Second Innings Bowler Overs Maidens Runs Wickets Overs Maidens Runs Wickets R. P. Singh 26 3 124 4 16 2 74 1 Ishant Sharma 23 3 87 0 14 2 59 0 Sourav Ganguly 6 1 13 0 – – – – Harbhajan Singh 27 3 108 2 33 6 92 2 Anil Kumble 25.3 0 106 4 40 3 148 4 Sachin Tendulkar 5 0 14 0 2 0 6 0 Yuvraj Singh – – – – 2 0 11 0
India innings
First Innings Second Innings (target 333) Batsman Method of dismissal Runs Method of dismissal Runs Wasim Jaffer b Lee 3 c Clarke b Lee 0 Rahul Dravid c Hayden b Johnson 53 c Gilchrist b Symonds 38 V. V. S. Laxman c Hussey b Hogg 109 lbw b Clark 20 Sachin Tendulkar not out 154 b Clark 12 Saurav Ganguly c Hussey b Hogg 67 c Clarke b Lee 51 Yuvraj Singh lbw b Lee 12 c Gilchrist b Symonds 0 + MS Dhoni c Gilchrist b Lee 2 lbw b Symonds 35 * Anil Kumble c Gilchrist b Lee 2 not out 45 Harbhajan Singh c Hussey b Mitchell Johnson 63 c Hussey b Clarke 7 R. P. Singh c Gilchrist b Clark 13 lbw b Clarke 0 Ishant Sharma c & b Lee 23 c Hussey b Clarke 0 Extras 18 23 Total (138.2 overs) 532 (70.5 overs) 210 First Innings Second Innings Bowler Overs Maidens Runs Wickets Overs Maidens Runs Wickets Brett Lee 32.2 5 119 5 13 3 34 2 Mitchell Johnson 37 2 148 2 11 4 33 0 Stuart Clark 25 3 80 1 12 4 32 2 Andrew Symonds 7 1 19 0 19 5 51 3 Brad Hogg 30 2 121 2 14 2 55 0 Michael Clarke 7 1 28 0 1.5 0 5 3
Progress of play
Day one Australia won the toss and elected to bat on a pitch offering some moisture and grass on the first morning, but predicted to be a good batting track for days two to three and slowly develop into a spinner's track by day five. After bowling a maiden to start the day, R. P. Singh dismissed Jaques, who was trying to square cut uppishly on the back foot, for a duck. In the ninth over of the day Hayden edged Singh to the left of the wicket-keeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who was off balance and left the catch to first slip Tendulkar. Australia were 2/27 with Ponting and Hussey at the crease.
An appeal for Ponting caught down the leg side by wicket-keeper Dhoni from Ganguly when he was on just 14 was turned down by umpire Mark Benson with Australia 2/55. Just prior to lunch, with Sharma hit for 10 runs off one over, the spinners Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble came into the attack. Harbhajan produced a stumping opportunity against Ponting in which the ball flicked the pad and was not gloved by Dhoni, running away for two byes. Ponting and Hussey survived to lunch with Ponting scoring a half century and Australia at 2/95.
After lunch, Ponting began looking dangerous, scoring three fours off one R. P. Singh over before he was dismissed by Harbhajan Singh adjudged LBW despite getting an inside edge on the ball prior to the ball hitting the pad. Australia were 3/119 at the end of the 30th over. Hussey edged the first ball of the next over to Tendulkar who took a low catch at first slip, bringing Andrew Symonds to the crease. Michael Clarke fell in the over after, not offering a shot to a straight, full ball on leg stump and being adjudged LBW, leaving Australia at 5/121. Singh soon drew an edge from Gilchrist to Tendulkar at first slip once again, who had to dive forward to take the catch. With only one specialist batsman remaining, Australia were at 6/135, with India having the clear upper hand.
The new batsman Brad Hogg played his natural attacking game while Symonds started slowly. The two batsmen put the pressure back on India and took the score to 6/193 in the 47th over, having scored 56 off the last 10 overs. In that over by Sharma, Symonds, then on 30, nicked the ball to wicketkeeper Dhoni, however Steve Bucknor deemed the batsman not out. By tea, Australia were 6/214 with Hogg on 47 and Symonds on 38.
Immediately after tea, Hogg brought up his 50 with a boundary through the gully region. In the 56th over with Australia on 6/238, Symonds was given not out by the third umpire in a close stumping call when replays were inconclusive as to whether his back foot was off the ground.Lucky to be given not out twice: Symonds India's frustration increased as Symonds increased his tempo and overtook Hogg, who had stalled in the 70s. Australia's run-rate continued to rise, with singles and boundaries coming frequently. Symonds reached his century in the 70th over with Australia on 6/305 and Hogg on 78. Hogg was out two overs later, edging to Dravid at slip. Brett Lee came in and survived until the end of the day. 19-year-old Sharma was jeered by the crowd for losing his run-up three times in one over. Australia finished the day at 7/376.
Day two
India began the day hoping to dismiss the Australian lower order quickly. A breeze had picked up speed through the ground and those bowling from the Paddington End had the advantage of running in with the breeze and bowling faster. However, Lee continued to resist, reaching 50 from 100 balls in the 98th over. Lee eventually fell five overs later for 59, leaving Australia at 8/421. Mitchell Johnson made a quick 28 from 29 balls before falling to Kumble, Stuart Clark fell two overs later and Australia were all out for 463.
Jaffer and Dravid began India's innings by successfully negotiating a tricky period of three overs prior to lunch. They did not score any runs in this period. Lee was controlled and bowled two short balls at Jaffer before trapping him with a low, swinging, yorker. Replays revealed that Lee had bowled a no-ball by overstepping the bowling mark, but the dismissal left India 1/8. Laxman and Dravid consolidated the fall of the early wicket and batted steadily, although Dravid survived a catch from a no-ball, this time from Johnson. Dravid was defensive while Laxman wristily pushed the ball to the cover and midwicket boundaries. At the end of the 15th over, a Johnson over that went for 19 runs, India were 1/69 and Laxman was on 45 from 31 balls.