Australia v India 2014/15 - 1st Test, Day 3, Lunch: India reach 119/2 after Australia's overnight declaration
Adelaide, Dec 11 - India reached 119 for two at lunch on the third day after Australia declared their first innings at the score of 517/7 in the first of the four-match Test series at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday.
India lost openers Shikhar Dhawan (25) and Murali Vijay (53) while Cheteshwar Pujara (unbeaten 34) and Virat Kohli (unbeaten 3) were at the crease as the hosts decided to make full use of the early morning conditions by having a crack at the young Indian batting line-up.
The Indian openers started cautiously. They showed a lot of patience and did not score in the first two overs bowled by pacers Mitchell Johnson and Ryan Harris, respectively.
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 with a punch through mid-off that fetched him three. Harris was the better of the two bowlers with Johnson's ploy of bowling full not working.
However, Dhawan lost his wicket dragging a Harris delivery onto his stumps as he tried to drive a ball on the up with his front-foot not in a perfect position.
As the new batsman Pujara walked in, the team scoreboard read 30/1 in 7.4 overs. The Saurashtra batsman took time to settle and judged the pace and bounce well before getting on with his business. He scored regular boundaries through the leg side as Johnson and Peter Siddle erred on the fuller side. Vijay, on the other hand, shifted gears in the 17th over with two consecutive fours - a brilliant drive through cover first up and the other a beautiful flick through mid-wicket.
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 the extra cover region. He followed it up by dancing down the track and hitting the ball over the offie's head.
Australia skipper Michael Clarke brought back Johnson to prise out a wicket just before lunch, and the bowler delivered by taking the wicket of Vijay, who edged a full delivery that shaped away from him to the 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 (7 wickets declared; 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 batting 34
Virat Kohli not out 3
Extras: (lb 3, nb 1) 4
Total: (2 wickets; 32 overs) 119
Fall of wickets 1-30 (Dhawan, 7.4), 2-111 (Vijay, 30.1)
Bowling
Mitchell Johnson 8-3-38-1
Ryan Harris 9-2-20-1
Nathon Lyon 5-1-34-0
Peter Siddle 5-2-19-0
Mitchell Marsh 5-2-5-0
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