Bowlers’ day out

Australia were 179 for 8 to lead India by 230 runs at the close on third day of the first Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Wednesday.Mike Hussey was unbeaten on 79 with James Pattinson on three.

Senior batsmen Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey were steering Australia out of early trouble against India on the third day of the first Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Wednesday.At tea, Ponting was unbeaten on 33 with Hussey on 29 to have Australia at 81 for four, after crashing to 27 for four.That represented an overall lead of 132 runs after Australia led by 51 runs on the first innings.

Paceman Umesh Yadav claimed the first three wickets to have the Australians under threat of missing out on a decent total to defend in the fourth innings.

Yadav struck twice in four balls in his fourth over, removing both openers David Warner (5) and first innings top-scorer Ed Cowan (8).Warner was bowled playing on from a loose shot, and Cowan was leg before wicket while padding up.

Australia’s woes deepened when Shaun Marsh dragged a wide Yadav delivery onto his stumps for three and skipper Michael Clarke followed in the next over.Clarke played on and was bowled by Ishant Sharma for one.Ben Hilfenhaus earlier claimed his best wicket haul in Tests to give Australia a handy innings lead as India were dismissed for 282 at lunch.

The Tasmanian swing bowler, recalled for his first Test match in almost a year, captured five for 75.India lost seven wickets for 68 off 28.1 overs after they looked in command at 214 for two late on Tuesday.Australia got off to a flyer when Rahul Dravid was bowled second ball by Hilfenhaus on his overnight score of 68.

Hilfenhaus breached the famed defence of “The Wall” and clipped his off-stump just five balls after Tuesday’s last-over dismissal of Sachin Tendulkar for 73 by Peter Siddle.

Dravid, second only to Tendulkar as Test cricket’s most prolific-scoring batsman, batted for 187 balls with six boundaries.V.V.S. Laxman took 20 balls to get off the mark and fell for two.

India 1st innings (Day2) 
G Gambhir c †Haddin b Hilfenhaus 3
V Sehwag b Pattinson 67
R Dravid not out 68
SR Tendulkar b Siddle 73
Ishant Sharma c Haddin b Hilfenhaus 11
VVS Laxman c Haddin b Siddle  2
V Kohli c Haddin b Hilfenhaus 11
MS Dhoni  c Hussey b Hilfenhaus  6
R Ashwin  c Haddin b Siddle 31
Z Khan  b Pattinson 4
U Yadav  not out 2
Extras  (w 1, nb 3) 4
Total  (all out; 94.1 overs) 282  Fall of wickets: 1-22 (Gambhir, 7.5 ov), 2-97 (Sehwag, 28.2 ov), 3-214 (Tendulkar, 64.3 ov), 4-214 (Dravid, 65.2 ov), 5-221 (Laxman, 72.4 ov), 6-238 (Kohli, 79.2 ov), 7-245 (Dhoni, 81.4 ov), 8-254 (Sharma, 87.2 ov), 9-259 (Khan, 88.6 ov), 10-282 (Ashwin, 94.1 ov)
Bowling:
JL Pattinson 23-6-55-2,
BW Hilfenhaus 26 -5-75-5,
PM Siddle 21.1-2-63-3,
NM Lyon 17-2-66-0,
MEK Hussey 5-0-15-0,
DA Warner 2-0-8-0

Australia IInd innings (Day 3)
DA Warner  b Yadav 5
EJM Cowan lbw b Yadav 8
SE Marsh b Yadav 3
RT Ponting c Sehwag b Khan 60
MEK Hussey not out  79
MJ Clarke b Sharma 1
BJ Haddin† c Laxman b Khan 6
PM Siddle c †Dhoni b Yadav  4
NM Lyon lbw b Ashwin  0
JL Pattinson not out  3
Extras: (b 1, lb 2, w 1, nb 2)6 
Bowling:
Z Khan 10-1-26-1
U Yadav 11-2-40-3
I Sharma 9-0-36-1
R Ashwin 9.2-0-31-0
V Sehwag 2-0-7-0