Thirty-run lead for India will be handy: Gavaskar
Dean Jones and Sunny all praise for Aussie off-spinner Nathan Lyon, whose fifer broke the back of Indian batsmen at Kotla.
On an enthralling second day of the fourth and final Test at Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi, India were at 266 for 8 at stumps on Saturday, leading Australia by four runs.
"Posting 550 will be good for India," Gavaskar said with a laugh on NDTV's post Day 2 analysis. "In all seriousness, a 30-40 run lead will be very handy for the hosts. On this surface, any lead will be crucial for the Indians," said the former India captain.
The second day at Kotla belonged to off-spinner Nathan Lyon. After a 108-run opening stand between Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara, Lyon ripped through the middle-order.
"Finally the bus has arrived!" exclaimed NDTV's cricket expert Dean Jones. "The bowlers bowled with aggression and now we have a Test match on our hands."
Lyon finished the day with 5/94 picking up the wickets of Pujara, Kohli, Tendulkar, Rahane and Ashwin as Australia fought their way back into the Test.
"Nathan Lyon was very impressive," said Deano. "He set some good fields and bowled with intent in the right areas."
Gavaskar agreed with his fellow experts' views on Lyon. "Lyon changed his approach from the previous Tests and it has paid dividends. Also, let's not forget the faster bowlers, who used the short ball to great effect."
There was a moment of controversy during the day when Sachin Tendulkar would have probably been given out lbw had DRS been used. However both Sunny and Deano sought to play down the drawn-out argument over the implementation of DRS.
"One decision is not going to make a difference," said Sunny. "The BCCI's stance is pretty clear and one decision is not going to change that. Unless the Decision Review becomes a foolproof system, it is not going to work."
With the Test match evenly poised, it promises to an interesting further three days at Delhi. "With Nathan Lyon, bowling so well, it will be very tough for India in the fourth innings," said Gavaskar.
With Day 3 promising to be a closely fought affair, India will have to amass as much of a lead as possible. As Sunil Gavaskar puts it, "India's tail needs to wag."