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Hands up everyone who was happy about Steve O'Keefe's selection in the Test squad to tour India.
O'Keefe has enjoyed the most stunning turnaround in fortunes, taking an incredible 6-35 to demolish India's middle order and reduce the hosts to 105 all out in their first innings in Pune.
- Three wickets and one run in an over to kick things off
- A maiden over to follow
- Then three overs, with a wicket in each, for four runs.
- In summary: W1W.W.......1W1...W1..1W
While the usual ire against Australian selectors seemed to be focussed mostly on the Marsh brothers, O'Keefe's inclusion was never far from the public's bemusement.
Having played just four Tests prior to the India tour, his collection of 20 wickets (a best of 3-63 against a terrible West Indies side at the SCG) suggested to many that Australia's spin stocks really were struggling in this day and age.
But targeted by India's premier batsmen as the man to hit out of the ground, O'Keefe reaped dividends in Pune from the simplest of bowling strategies: keep putting the ball on the same spot, and let the turning pitch do the rest.
The collapse was stunning. At 3-94, India was in an awkward but recoverable position after Australia was bowled out for 260 earlier in the morning.
O'Keefe re-entered the fray, having motored through nine overs for no wickets and 30 runs, looking as threatening as a newborn foal for most of the session.
Indeed, India's batsmen had taken to the attack at times against O'Keefe, with half-centurion KL Rahul coming down the wicket to belt an inviting dibbly-dobbly over the bowler's head into the sight screen.
For a second spell — with a change of ends the only real difference, this time — O'Keefe looked ready to deliver more of the same.
Down the pitch came Rahul, looking to hoist O'Keefe over long on. Except this time it ended very badly, with the shot mistimed horribly, the batsman clutching at his shoulder, and David Warner gleefully taking a catch in the deep.
India's top-scorer for the innings was gone. O'Keefe, through luck and plugging away, had got his reward.
A looping delivery first up to Ashwin suggested more of the same from O'Keefe as the new batsman got off the mark through cover without fuss.
Then it happened again. O'Keefe struck gold once more.
Ajinkya Rahane feathered an edge towards the slips, and an incredible dive down low by Peter Handscomb saw the fielder pouch an outstanding catch to remove the batsman.
Two wickets in three balls. It couldn't get better for O'Keefe.
And then, it did. New man Saha entered the arena, and departed two balls later. A third wicket in the same over. Suddenly it was an Australian mastering a pitch on the subcontinent.
A good length ball saw Saha prod without conviction to provide the slips with a juicy edge, via a fortuitous deflection off the keeper's gloves.
India's 3-94 had suddenly become 6-95 in the space of six balls. And while it took a prolonged spell for the bowler to find his rhythm, O'Keefe's persistence at putting the ball in the same spot again and again was now paying off in spades.
A maiden followed. O'Keefe kept it tight, enjoying the rare air of being his team's most potent threat as India's tail kept out his new batch of hand grenades.
The new pressure on the hosts saw Lyon — Australia's current claimant to the off-spinning 'GOAT' title — snare the wicket of Ravi Ashwin to have India seven down.
Suddenly there were screams and shouts. Matthew Wade was appealing to the square-leg umpire. Had Jayant Yadav strayed out of his area?
The third umpire confirmed it. O'Keefe had four as he guided one past Yadav for Wade to nab a stumping. India was in complete disarray at 8-99.
It was nearly 9-99 as O'Keefe appealed for a caught behind off Ravindra Jadeja, but replays showed it came off the batsman's upper arm.
Jadeja would not last much longer as he tempestuously slapped an O'Keefe delivery straight to Mitchell Starc at deep midwicket, giving the tweaker the most unlikely of five-wicket hauls.
It would be six-for, and India dismantled for 105, when O'Keefe benefited from another errant slog as Umesh Yadav tried to smash him over the top, only to outside edge it to Steve Smith in the slips.
All of this from putting the ball on the same spot again and again. If there's a lesson in fortitude and persistence, over the length of a career or just a session, O'Keefe has delivered it in spades for his doubters.
First posted