India 71/1 at stumps on Day 3 against Australia

Brisbane, December 19   

India were 71/1 in their second innings at stumps on the third day of the second cricket Test against Australia here on Friday.

Earlier, Australia were all out for 505 in reply to India’s first-innings total of 408. India now trail by 26 runs with nine wickets remaining.

India’s ineptness at getting rid of the tailenders once again cost them dear as Australia reached 505 for nine, taking a 97-run lead, at tea on day three of the second Test. India have the worst average in Test cricket of giving away runs to tailenders. The visitors have given away 84 runs on an average to take the eighth, ninth and 10^th wickets.

Captain Steven Smith (133) and Mitchell Johnson (88) put together 148 runs for the seventh wicket as Australia smashed 282 runs in two sessions of play on day three.

To add to India’s woes No.8 batsman Mitchell Starc struck an unbeaten 51 runs.

Starc combined first with Nathan Lyon (23) to add 56 runs for the ninth wicket and then with debutant Josh Hazlewood (batting 31) for an unbeaten 49-run stand for the final wicket to give the hosts a handy lead.

Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav took three wickets each while Varun Aaron took two and Ravichandran Ashwin chipped in with one.

Smith and Johnson, who counter-attacked with great fervour, though, laid the foundation of the fightback.

They carried on from where they left off at lunch and continued to attack the Indian bowlers.

To their credit, the Indians did bowl a little fuller than they did in the previous session but still found the going hard against the Australian duo.

It finally took an Ishant over to get rid of the two. The Indian pacer first got Johnson with a wide and full delivery and then castled Smith with an sharp in-swinger.

Earlier, a blistering unbeaten 104-run partnership between captain Smith and Johnson took Australia to 351 for six at lunch.

The Australians seemed to be in a spot of bother when overnight batsman Mitchell Marsh (11) and wicketkeeper Brad Haddin (6) were dismissed early in the session.

But a breathtaking counter-attack from Smith and Johnson, who scored 104 runs in just 84 balls, wrestled the momentum away from the Indians.

Australia scored 130 runs in the session losing two wickets in the process. The session started as India’s best bowling session of the match but ended up as their worst.

The visitors began with discipline, attacking the channel outside off, and were rewarded with two early wickets.

Ishant clean bowled Mitchell Marsh and then Varun removed vice-captain Haddin with a perfectly executed bouncer.

However, India switched their plan and bowled short deliveries indiscriminately and Johnson feasted on them to run away to a 37-ball half-century.

Smith moved to his second century of the four-match series as well, as India’s 187-run lead at the start of the day shrunk to 57.

The Indian pacers stepped over the line with their aggressiveness and were made to pay dearly.

Left-hander Johnson carted the Indian bowlers all over the ground, smashing 10 fours and a six in his innings of 67 from 53 deliveries.

Smith took more calculated risks but was just as punishing to take his team to a strong position at the end of the session.

PTI/IANS