Honours shared on Day Two

Brisbane, December 18

Josh Hazlewood’s five for 68 on debut helped Australia battle back into the second Test against India on Thursday but the contest remained in the balance when the hosts finished the second day in Brisbane on 221 for four.
India, who had been looking to drive home their advantage after taking charge on Day One at the Gabba, could only add 97 runs to their overnight tally before being dismissed for 408 at lunch.
Australia lost three wickets in the second session and it was left to stand-in skipper Steve Smith to steady the innings with a half century to add to the unbeaten knocks of 162 and 52 he made in the first test victory in Adelaide.
The 25-year-old, deputising for the injured Michael Clarke for the remainder of the series, was 65 not out when stumps were drawn early because of bad light, with Mitchell Marsh alongside him on seven.
All-rounder Marsh was unable to field let alone bowl after suffering a hamstring injury on Wednesday, one of a slew of Australians who ended the sweltering first day of the contest in the treatment room. Australia needed a good start to Day Two and Hazlewood, crippled by cramps and forced off the field in mid-over on Wednesday, provided it by having Ajinkya Rahane caught behind for 81 with a peach of a delivery in the third over.
Touch slog
The 23-year-old returned before lunch to break a 57-run partnership between all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin (35) and India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (33), triggering a collapse which saw the tourists lose their last four wickets for 23 runs. Six of India’s wickets were caught behind, giving Brad Haddin a share of the Australian record for catches by a wicketkeeper in a test innings. David Warner was the first Australian batsman to fall, getting a top edge to an Umesh Yadav delivery on 29, and Shane Watson followed for 25 when Shikhar Dhawan took a brilliant catch off Ashwin. Opener Chris Rogers had just reached his sixth Test half-century and appeared to be ushering Australia to the tea break in reasonable shape when he gloved a Yadav ball to wicketkeeper Dhoni for 55.
Smith and Shaun Marsh put together a stand of 87 for the fourth wicket before the latter was caught by Ashwin for 32 to give Yadav (3-48) his third victim and bring his brother Mitchell to crease.  — Reuters

Scoreboard

India 1st innings
Vijay c Haddin b Lyon    144
Dhawan c Haddin b Marsh    24
Pujara c Haddin b Hazlewood    18
Kohli c Haddin b Hazlewood    19
Rahane c Haddin b Hazlewood    81
R Sharma c Smith b Watson    32
Dhoni c Haddin b Hazlewood     33
Ashwin c Watson b Hazlewood     35
Yadav c Rogers b Lyon     9
Aaron c sub (Labuschagne) b Lyon    4
I Sharma not out     1
Extras: (b 4, lb 1, w 2, nb 1)    8
Total: (all out; 109.4 ov)    408
Fall of wickets: 1-56 2-100 3-137 4-261 5-321 6-328 7-385 8-394
9-407

Bowling
Johnson     21-4-81-0
Hazlewood     23.2-6-68-5
Starc     17-1-83-0
M Marsh     6-1-14-1
Lyon     25.4-2-105-3
Watson     14.4-6-39-1
Warner     1-0-9-0
Smith     1-0-4-0

Australia 1st innings
Rogers c Dhoni b Yadav     55
Warner c Ashwin b Yadav     29
Watson c Dhawan b Ashwin     25
Smith not out     65
S Marsh c Ashwin b Yadav     32
M Marsh not out     7
Extras: (b 1, w 3, nb 4)    8
Total: (4 wickets; 52 ov)    221
Fall of wickets: 1-47 2-98 3-121
4-208

Bowling
I Sharma     9-0-47-0
Aaron     12-1-59-0
Yadav     13-2-48-3
Ashwin     18-3-66-1

Numbers game

6 Catches taken by Brad Haddin during India’s first innings, the most by an Australian wicketkeeper in a Test innings. Wally Grout, Rod Marsh and Ian Healy have also taken six catches in an innings for Australia. The overall record for the most catches by a keeper in a Test innings is seven, by Wasim Bari, Bob Taylor, Ian Smith and Ridley Jacobs.

0 Number of Test matches Australia have won in Brisbane after conceding 400-plus runs in the first innings of the match. Including this Test match, there have been just four instances of overseas teams posting 400-plus in the first innings, and those teams have won one, drawn one, and tied the other