The Indians, who might have pondering over their future in this game at lunch-time, came back into the match with a performance that was quite extraordinary.
Hats off to Anil Kumble. I have a feeling that the Australians focussed their energies on Harbhajan and in a way, forgot about Kumble. In fact, it seemed as if Sourav Ganguly was thinking along the same lines, as he didn't use Kumble that much in the earlier part of the day. By the time he was brought back, the wicket was drier and the ball rougher.
Whether this ploy to hold back Kumble and bring him on when the conditions suited him perfectly was accidental or deliberate, one doesn't know, but the fact is that it worked well for India!
It was a great toss to win, and Hayden and Langer laid the foundation for a huge score with a century stand. The players then went in for lunch, and whatever Ganguly and Wright may have said to the Indians during the interval, made the home team come out in an aggressive frame of mind.
I thought India's tactics were quite brilliant. Ganguly set what is known in Australia as an 'in-out' field, which basically means having 4-5 fielders on the boundary and the rest in close-in catching positions. Many people consider this sort of field-placing as negative, but I know from experience that it can be very effective, if backed by good, accurate bowling.