India pulled themselves back into reckoning with a sublime bowling performance
in the second day of the third test match in the India Australia cricket test
series. The Indian bowlers especially RP Singh were bang on target from ball one
and the substantial lead of 118 given to team India by their premium fast bowlers
will hold India in good stead on a fast crumbling WACA pitch.
Indian resumed day two on 297/6 and started things brightly
with Pathan and Dhoni at their fluent best. However Dhoni fell on the back of
a very dodgy decision by umpire Asad Rauf and Pathan soon perished to
an unplayable fast yorker by upcoming quickie Mitchell Johnson. In the
next over itself Anil Kumble was out when he drove a half volley straight
into the gleeful hands of debutant Chris Rogers and when RP Singh fended one
off Stuart Clarke, India had lost four wickets for just two runs and
at 330, they looked at least a hundred runs short of a comfortable first innings
score.
However, the Indian pace battery led by a fired up Rp Singh
had other ideas as they tore apart one of the finest batting lineups in the
world. Debutant Chris Rogers was the first to go playing down the wrong line
to an in swinging yorker by Irfan Pathan and soon Phil Jacques and Michael Hussey
perished to some fast hostile bowling by youngster RP Singh. Ricky Pointing
tried to steady the ship with some aggressive stroke play before he was done
in by an absolute ripper by youngster Ishant Sharma who got the ball
to viciously kick and bounce off the surface to kiss the edge of the Australian
skipper. Michael Clarke was the next to perish edging a perfect out swinger
from the Delhi lad and at 61/5 Australia looked in big trouble.
However, as has been the case in many an innings in the past,
Andrew Symonds and Adam Gilcrhist steadied the ship with some delightful counter
attacking stroke play. Symonds was particularly aggressive on Anil Kumble and
dispatched him to all parts of the ground in an entertaining post lunch session.
However, India struck back after tea when Symonds tried to cut a faster one
from Anil Kumble but only managed to edge it. The edge managed to escape the
grasp of keeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni but was gleefully accepted by Rahul
Dravid to give India a fighting chance. Sure enough, RP Singh was brought back
into the attack and he ripped apart the lower Australian tail with some fast
incisive bowling. Gilcrhist and Lee soon perished edging two fast seaming out
swingers to the keeper Dhoni and Anil Kumble soon wrapped up proceedings when
he had Stuart Clarke caught off a wrong one at first slip. India had managed
to dismiss the champions for just 212; their lowest home score in over four
years and in the process had given themselves a fighting chance of winning this
match. India began the second innings briskly but suffered a setback when Jaffer
edged one off Stuart Clarke and his merge innings of twelve adds more misery
to his woeful tour so far. Sehwag and Pathan saw off the rest of the day and
team India go into stumps of Day 2 with a substantial lead of 164.
Watch further dramatics unfold in this exciting clash between
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