India thrash Australia by record margin

Abhaya Srivastava

A sizzling performance by Zaheer Khan in the second Test here on Tuesday helped India to a crushing 320-run win against Australia and go 1-0 up in the four-Test series.

The left-arm paceman, 30, picked up three wickets, two of them on the trot, on the fifth and final day to wrap up the Australian second innings on 195 with more than two sessions to spare.

This was India’s biggest Test win by runs ever and their 12th victory at home against Australia out of 38 matches.

Zaheer’s effort capped an outstanding performance by off-spinner Harbhajan Singh and lanky fast bowler Ishant Sharma who gave India the crucial breakthroughs on Monday.

Singh took the top out of the Australian batting order by removing openers Matthew Hayden (29) and Simon Katich (20) before adding the key wicket of Michael Hussey (one) for figures of 3-36.

Sharma (2-42) claimed skipper Ricky Ponting (two) for the fifth time in as many matches and also took the wicket of Shane Watson, the top-scorer with 78 in Australia’s first innings score of 268.

Resuming the day on a wobbly 141-5 while chasing an insurmountable target of 516, the Australians tried to delay the inevitable but not for long.

Left-arm paceman Zaheer Khan struck in his very first over of the day, removing overnight batsman Brad Haddin (37) with a ball that crashed into the middle and off-stump.

Khan, man of the match in the drawn Bangalore opener for his exploits with the bat and the ball, followed it up with two wickets in two balls in his very next over.

The third Test will be played in New Delhi from Oct 29-Nov 2 followed by the fourth and final in Nagpur (Nov 6-10).

MOHALI, India, Tuesday, AFP