Naman Ojha in top form Down Under

For an Indian to score three hundreds in three consecutive first-class innings in Australia needs some effort. Even if it is on a slow and low pitch, something akin to Indian ones. Something that even the Indian Test team encountered in the first Test in Nottingham, England.

India 'A' wicketkeeper-batsman Naman Ojha from Madhya Pradesh has been in top form on tour Down Under. On Tuesday, Ojha, who will turn 31 on July 20, scored 110 batting at No. 7 to help India 'A' take the first innings lead on the third day of the second four-day 'Test' against Australia 'A' at the Allan Border Field in Brisbane.

Replying to Australia A's first innings total of 423 and resuming the day at 165/3, India 'A' made 501, thanks to Ojha's 16th first-class century and a late onslaught by No. 10 Umesh Yadav, who made 90 from 66 deliveries with 11 fours and five sixes.

Ojha, who averages 42.29 at the start of this match, averages a mindboggling 430 on this tour following back-t0-back unbeaten hundreds – 219* and 101* – in the drawn first match last week at the same venue.

While one still has to go out and score those runs, the pitches have been their true self. When you think of pitches in England, you expect seaming conditions. In Australia, it is more of pace and bounce. But as MS Dhoni and Co. found out at Trent Bridge in the week gone by and as the Manoj Tiwary-led India A are facing in Australia, they are more Indian than even some of the Indian pitches.

Ojha, after his third successive century, told cricket.com.au that the pitch here was slower and lower than the one on his which he scored two centuries last week.

This type of pitch even must have demoralised Australia's No. 1 spinner, Nathan Lyon, who has been roped in to play this match to gain match experience and be ready for the gruelling Tests against Pakistan later this year. He also used this match to put into practice that he learnt from spin legend Muttiah Muralidaran in Colombo recently.

Looking at the highlights, Lyon, who went for 147 runs without any reward from 30 overs, bowled round the wicket to the Indian right-handers. Surely, this was not what Lyon learnt from the Lankan spin wizard. Perhaps, it was an attempt to stop the Indians from running amok, which they eventually did in the form of Yadav, who reached his maiden half-century in first-class.

It has become a habit on such lifeless pitches for the tail enders to come good. In recent times, we all saw Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Md Shami posting their maiden Test half-centuries en route to their 111-run stand for the last wicket at Trent Bridge. This was bettered by a world-record stand for the last wicket in England's reply by Joe Root and Jimmy Andreson, eventually helping the home team take the first innings lead. The same was the case by India 'A No.s 10 and 11, Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah shared 82 for the last wicket to help Indians take the psychological edge with that first innings lead.

They say the match is not won till the last wicket is taken and the last ball is being bowled. Today's Nos. 9, 10 and 11 are no longer sitting ducks with the bat. Former England captain Nasser Hussain said on air during the first Test that Duncan Fletcher was to be blamed for the tail wagging bit time. Hussain said that Fletcher, then England coach, now with India, insisted that the bowlers also spend time in the nets and improve their batting skills.

How frustrating can it be for the fielding side, who do all the right things to pick up the first nine wickets and are made to toil for the last one. And if the wait is for 10 minutes short of four hours as the Dhoni & Co. found out, you only point at the dead pitch.

By the way, Ojha said that he was ready for Test cricket. "I can perform. But selection is not in my hands. I have done well given the opportunity (for India 'A')," he said on Tuesday.

Brief scores: Australia A: 423 & 0/0 in 0.1 over vs India 'A' (overnight 165/3): 501 in 132.2 overs (B Aparajith 28, M Tiwary 63, A Rayudu 40, N Ojha 110, A Mishra 36, U Yadav 90; B Cutting 4/100, C Sayers 5/84)