Photographs: Reuters
Australia ended Day 1 at 285-5 after making a confident start with Watson and Katich scoring freely without allowing the Indians to exploit the heavy conditions.
Watson (57), in particular, was severe on new-ball bowlers - Zaheer Khan and S Sreesanth - hiting them to the boundaries at will.
He survived a good leg-before appeal off Sreesanth to bat through the first session.
Katich provided Watson good support
While, Watson went about his business with elan, Katich was quite content playing second fiddle.
He played a sedate innings scoring 39 off 90 balls with the help of six fours. Together, the batsmen played risk-free cricket to give Australia the advantage in the morning session.
Harbhajan gives India the first breakthrough
India came back strongly in the post-luch session, thanks mainly to the spinners.
Harbhajan Singh opened the floodgates as he dismissed Simon Katich (43) in the first over of the second session, ending the left-hander's 99-run partnership with Shane Watson.
Katich started with a boundary off the third ball. However, Harbhajan struck back two balls later, having the batsman caught by Rahul Dravid at first slip.
Ponting came to the crease and got off the mark with a four.
However, India made a second breakthrough when Pragyan Ojha had Watson caught behind.
Clarke didn't last long
Vice-captain Michael Clarke replaced Watson at the crease and from hereon, the Aussies became more cautious.
The Australians, who were scoring freely in the morning session were now playing carefully as Ponting and his deputy Michael Clarke dug in.
However, Clarke (14) didn't last either, Harbhajan having him caught by Raina at backward short-leg.
Ponting, Hussey rebuild the innings
With the wicket of Clarke, Australia found themselves in a bit of a spot as they slumped from 99 without loss at one stage to 132 for three.
Ponting and Hussey tried to rebuild the innings, combining caution with agrression to a good effect. The Australian captain's was an aggressive knock, with a plethora of sweetly-timed boundaries.
Hussey, on the other hand, started on a tentative note - the first ball he faced off Harbhajan dropped just short of Pujara at sllly point - and lived dangerously throughout. He brought up the 50-run partnership for the fourth wicket with a boundary off Sehwag, the ball almost carrying to the fielder.
At the tea, the Aussies were 189 for three.
Zaheer strikes after tea
Hussey (34 off 45) failed to capitalise on a good start and was dismissed by Zaheer Khan soon after tea.
The left-arm quick, known for his ability to make good use of the reverse swing, had Michael Hussey (34) caught by Virender Sehwag at gully. Hussey and Ponting had put on a 66-run stand for the fourth wicket and were looking dangerous.
Ponting becomes Aus leading run-scorer vs India
Ponting reached his 54th Test fifty, his eighth against India, with a risky shot off Harbhajan that went wide of Dravid and to the fence.
The Australian captain celebrated the same with another boundary, on this occasion a perfect pull shot that went to the mid-wicket fence.
Ponting also became the Australia's leading run scorer against India in Test cricket, ovetaking Matthew Hayden, who
had scored 1888 between 2001 and 2008.
Marcus North hit a well-timed off-drive off Harbhajan to raech the 1, 000-run mark in tests. Ponting, meanwhile, continued with some fluent batting. The duo put on 58 runs for the fifth wicket before Raina struck.
The Australian captain's 147-ball knock was inclusive of a dozen hits to the fence.
Comment
article