Australia v India 2014/15, 1st Test, Day 3, Tea: Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli guide India to 223/3
Adelaide, Dec 11 - Chesteshwar Pujara (73) and captain Virat Kohli (batting 48) helped India reach 223 for three at tea on day three of the first of the four-match Test series at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday.
India lost well-set openers Shikhar Dhawan (25) and Murali Vijay (53) before lunch and Pujara in the second session at critical junctures of the day after Australia had decided to declare on their overnight score of 517 for seven.
Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane (batting 19) were at the crease with Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon taking the only wicket to fall in the second session.
Kohli was tested with high-rising bouncers by the pacers and came out of the testing time, relying on his quick feet movement.
Pujara also played a brilliant hand. His 81-run stand for the third wicket with Kohli looked to be putting India in a strong position, but an unlucky series of events saw him being bowled by Lyon.
Earlier, Indian openers started cautiously. They showed a lot of patience and didn't score in the first two overs bowled by pacers Mitchell Johnson and Ryan Harris.
Left-handed batsman Dhawan started the calculated onslaught in the third over, spanking left-arm pacer Johnson for three boundaries through the leg side and followed it up with another cracking cut in his next over.
Vijay was watchful and defended solidly against the testing line and length persisted by right-arm pacer Harris. He took 19 deliveries to score his first run before a punch through mid-off fetched him three.
Harris was the better of the two bowlers with Johnson's ploy of bowling a fuller length not working.
However, Dhawan lost his wicket, dragging a Harris delivery on to his stumps as he tried to drive the ball on the up.
Pujara took time to settle down to the pace and bounce of the wicket.
Once in his groove, he scored regular boundaries through the leg side as Johnson and Peter Siddle erred on the fuller length.
The bowlers, with their plan of dismissing him either by ripping through his defence or leg-before wicket, pitched the ball full on most occasions, and he made full use of it.
Trusting his wristwork, he earned most of his runs with drives towards covers, flicks towards mid-wicket and slices towards point.
On the other hand, Vijay shifted gears in the 17th over with two consecutive fours.
He made good use of his feet when spinner Nathon Lyon came on to bowl, milking him for a six over mid-on and a four with a backfoot punch through extra cover. He followed it up by dancing down the track and hitting the ball over the offie's head.
Vijay and Pujara shared a 81-run partnership for the second wicket before Australia skipper Michael Clarke brought in Johnson and the bowler delivered by taking the wicket of Vijay, who guided a full delivery that shaped away from him to wicketkeeper Brad Haddin.
Australia
Chris Rogers c Dhawan b Ishant 9
David Warner c I.Sharma b K.Sharma 145
Shane Watson c Dhawan b Aaron 14
Michael Clarke c Pujara b K.Sharma 128
Steven Smith not out 162
Mitchell Marsh c Kohli b Aaron 41
Nathan Lyon b Mohammed Shami 3
Brad Haddin c Saha b Mohammed Shami 0
Mitchell Johnson not out 0
Extras (lb 4, w 9, nb 2) 15
Total (for seven wickets, declared in 120 overs) 517
Fall of wickets: 1-50 (Rogers, 7.5 overs), 2-88 (Watson, 18.3), 2-206 (Clarke, retired not out, 43.2), 3-258 (Warner, 56.2), 4-345 (Marsh, 84.2), 5-352 (Lyon, 87.3), 6-354 (Haddin, 89.2), 7-517 (Clarke, 119.2).
Bowling
Mohammed Shami 24-2-120-2
Varun Aaron 23-1-136-2
Ishant Sharma 27-5-85-1
Karn Sharma 33-1-143-2
Murali Vijay 13-3-29-0
India
Murali Vijay c Haddin b Johnson 53
Shikhar Dhawan b Harris 25
Cheteshwar Pujara b Lyon 73
Virat Kohli batting 48
Ajinkya Rahane batting 19
Extras (lb 3, nb 2) 5
Total (for three wickets in 61 overs) 223
Fall of wickets 1-30 (Dhawan, 7.4 overs), 2-111 (Vijay, 30.1), 3-192 (Pujara, 49.3)
Bowling
Mitchell Johnson 13-3-68-1
Ryan Harris 12-3-36-1
Nathon Lyon 17-2-63-1
Peter Siddle 7-2-30-0
Mitchell Marsh 9-4-11-0
Shane Watson 3-0-12-0
Match Details
Umpires – Marais Erasmus (South Africa) and Ian Gould (England)
Test debut- Karn Sharma (India)
TV umpire – Mick Martell
Match referee – Jeff Crowe (New Zealand)
Reserve umpire – Geoff Joshua