Australia’s bowlers built on a century by Marcus North as the tourists seized control of the second and final Test against India yesterday.
Australia rode on left-hander North’s 128 to pile up 478 in their first innings, before they were all out at the stroke of tea on the second day at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.
The tourists then silenced the estimated 22,000 home fans by removing Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid in the space of one run, before India recovered to end the day on 128-2.
Photo: Reuters
Sehwag smashed a typically robust 30 off 28 balls, including a six over third-man off Mitchell Johnson, before he was caught at deep square-leg off Ben Hilfenhaus.
Dravid edged a catch off Johnson to reduce India to 38-2, but Sachin Tendulkar and Murali Vijay retrieved the situation by adding 90 for the unbroken third wicket.
Tendulkar was unbeaten on a fluent 44, having extended his world record tally to 14,017 runs. Vijay kept him company on 42.
Earlier North and wicketkeeper Tim Paine (59) added 149 for the sixth wicket to boost the total as the tourists chase a series-leveling win after losing the dramatic Mohali Test by one wicket.
Left-handed North, battling to save his place in the team after averaging just seven runs in his last six Tests, returned to timely form with his fifth Test century.
North hit 17 boundaries and a six, before he was caught in the deep off Harbhajan Singh, who finished as India’s most successful bowler with four for 148.
Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha took three for 120, but fast bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth disappointed on his return to the Indian team with none for 79 from 21 overs.
North and Paine batted through the morning session to take the overnight score of 285-5 to 384 without further loss by lunch.
The duo hammered the Indian pace attack of Zaheer Khan and Sreesanth to keep the scoreboard moving briskly in the first hour.
When Harbhajan came on after the drinks interval, North welcomed him with a boundary to mid-wicket that carried the Australian total past the 350 mark.
Paine, who made 92 in the first Test in Mohali, continued to frustrate the India’s bowlers with his second successive half-century.
The 25-year-old earned two lucky reprieves either side of the lunch break.
He was on 40 when wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni took a catch off Sreesanth, but umpire Ian Gould judged a no-ball after consulting the television umpire.
Paine moved to 57 when he drove Ojha uppishly through the covers, where the usually reliable Suresh Raina spilled a simple catch, but he managed just two more runs before falling in the bowler’s next over.
Ojha then trapped Mitchell Johnson leg before wicket for no score as Australia’s innings slipped from 405-5 to 415-7.
With partners running out, North attempted to get quick runs and pulled Harbhajan to the deep mid-wicket fence, where Sreesanth took a good catch.
Nathan Haurtiz was run out by a direct throw from debutant Cheteshwar Pujara, while last man Peter George was stumped off Harbhajan.
Juventus on Sunday stopped Inter from replacing SSC Napoli at the top of Serie A by beating their fierce rivals 1-0 and moving into the UEFA Champions League positions. Francisco Conceicao made sure that Napoli would stay two points ahead of reigning champions Inter by classily tucking home the winning goal 16 minutes before the end of an entertaining contest in Turin. Portugal attacker Conceicao netted his fourth goal of the season in all competitions after brilliant work from Randal Kolo Muani to give Juve a third straight league win. Juve are in fourth place on 46 points, ahead on goal-difference from SS
BELGIANS ADVANCE: Club Brugge gave Atalanta a lesson in efficiency, as Gian Piero Gasperini’s team had 29 efforts at goal, compared with seven from the visitors Seldom has a player’s sending off had such an influence on a game. AC Milan was to left rue Theo Hernandez’s second yellow card — for diving — as Feyenoord advanced to the UEFA Champions League last 16 at the former European champion’s expense with a 1-1 draw in the second leg of their playoff on Tuesday, giving the Dutch team a 2-1 win on aggregate. Bayern Munich, Club Brugge and Benfica also won their playoffs, eliminating Celtic, UEFA Europa League winner Atalanta BC and French team AS Monaco respectively. “In soccer everything changes in a second,” said Milan forward
The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) is considering reducing its pitch clock by two seconds to help players better adjust to the rules applied at the World Baseball Classic (WBC). The proposal aims to shorten the pitch timer from 25 seconds to 23 seconds with the bases empty, and from 20 seconds to 18 seconds with runners on base. Currently, the WBC mandates that pitchers deliver a pitch every 18 seconds with the bases empty and 15 seconds with runners on base. The issue was raised during a pre-season CPBL managers’ meeting on Tuesday by Rakuten Monkeys bench and batting
Starting with three fights in the first nine seconds and ending with a celebration and a spot in the 4 Nations Face-Off final, the US on Saturday delivered exactly what Matthew Tkachuk hoped for by beating Canada. “We needed to send a message,” Tkachuk said. “The message we wanted to send is ‘It’s our time.’” Tkachuk fought Brandon Hagel off the opening faceoff, brother Brady tussled with Sam Bennett the next time the puck dropped, J.T. Miller dropped the gloves with Colton Parayko next and the Americans followed those fisticuffs with a 3-1 victory over their biggest rival. “That was one of the
RSS