Record breaker Tendulkar helps India take control
Sachin Tendulkar created history as India thwarted a spirited
fightback from Australia to reach 311-5 on the opening day of the second
Test here on Friday.
Tendulkar, 35, surpassed West Indian Brian Lara’s tally of 11,953
runs to become the highest run-getter in Test cricket and overshadow
everything else that happened on the field.
He reached the landmark in the first over after tea when he steered
debutant paceman Peter Siddle past third-man for three runs to move past
15, sending the 15,000 crowd at the Punjab Cricket Association stadium
into a frenzy.
Tendulkar (88) looked in ominous form as he cut, pulled and drove in
exquisite fashion to reach his 50th Test half-century and complete an
incredible 12,000 runs in the process.
His 111-ball knock, containing 10 fours, was cut short by Siddle when
he edged him to Matthew Hayden who took a fine low catch at first slip.
Ganguly, batting on 54 at close with four fours, also achieved a
personal milestone when he reached 39, becoming the fourth Indian to
score 7,000 runs behind Sunil Gavaskar, Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid.
The 142-run stand between Tendulkar and Ganguly lifted the Indians,
who were placed at a shaky 174-4 after Australian paceman Mitchell
Johnson (3-68) picked two key wickets in the post-lunch session.
The 26-year-old left-arm quick sent back opener Gautam Gambhir (67)
and the stylish Venkatsai Laxman (12) after having got rid of the
dangerous Virender Sehwag (35) in the opening session. But it was
paceman Brett Lee (1-56) who gave his team the much-needed breakthrough
by breaking the 76-run second-wicket stand between Gambhir and Dravid
(39).
Lee, who had looked quite off-colour earlier, tempted Dravid to go
for an expansive drive but the batsman ended up inside edging on to his
leg-stump.
It was the 291st wicket for Lee, who becomes the fourth highest
Australian wicket-taker ever. Johnson then forced an edge from Gambhir
as he tried to drive a full delivery through the covers before
dismissing Laxman by having him caught down the legside.
The three quick dismissals in the space of 17 runs turned the tide in
favour of Australia, looking to go 1-0 up in the four-Test series for
the Border-Gavaskar trophy after the drawn Bangalore opener.
Earlier Sehwag and Gambhir belted a wayward Australian attack after
Mahendra Dhoni won the toss and elected to bat in the absence of injured
regular captain Anil Kumble.
Kumble, who turned 38 on Friday, pulled out of the Test on the
morning of the match after failing to recover from a shoulder injury.
The explosive Sehwag, who hit Siddle for two fours in an over, appeared
in top form during his quickfire knock, which came off 36 balls.
Gambhir joined in the run-fest, reaching his seventh Test fifty and
first against Australia by lofting part-time spinner Michael Clarke for
two fours on the trot over long-on. Australia awarded a Test cap to
Siddle after paceman Stuart Clark was ruled unfit for the match.
India blooded leg-spinner Amit Mishra, who featured in three one-day
internationals for India way back in 2003.
MOHALI, India, Friday, 2008 AFP
India vs Australia second Test
INDIA 1ST INNINGS:
G. Gambhir c Haddin b Johnson 67
V. Sehwag c Haddin b Johnson 35
R. Dravid b Lee 39
S. Tendulkar c Hayden b Siddle 88
V. Laxman c Haddin b Johnson 12
S. Ganguly not out 54
I. Sharma not out 2
Extras: (b4, lb2, w5, nb3) 14
TOTAL (for five wickets) 311
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-70 (Sehwag), 2-146 (Dravid), 3-146 (Gambhir), 4-163 (Laxman), 5-305 (Tendulkar).
BOWLING: Lee 18-5-56-1 (w5, nb2) , Siddle 18-2-80-1 (nb1), Johnson 20-3-68-3, Watson 14-3-47-0, Clarke 7-0-28-0, White 8-0-26-0.
Overs: 85 |
