Australia rocked after Ganguly ton lifts India

New Delhi: After Sourav Ganguly (102) and stand-in skipper MS Dhoni (92) pushed India to 469 in their first innings, Australia lost four crucial wickets on the second day of second Test against Australia in Mohali.

At stumps, Australia reached 102-4 with debutant Amit Mishra trapping Michael Clarke leg before for 23 on the last ball of the day. The stump microphone caught Dhoni asking Mishra to come around the wicket and the leg spinner responded by outfoxing the Aussie vice-captain with a googly. Clarke along with Michael Hussey, who was unbeaten on 37, had added 40 runs for the fourth wicket.

Australia got off to a disastrous start when Zaheer Khan cleaned up Matthew Hayden off the third ball of the innings for no score.

Ishant Sharma then trapped Ricky Ponting leg before for five and after a 45-stand with Hussey, Simon Katich, at 33, played on a Mishra delivery to give the leg spinner his first Test wicket.

But the day belonged to Ganguly, who after two gritty knocks in Bangalore, came up with a peerless century on Saturday. He, along with Dhoni put 109 for the seven wicket in a passage of play that saw India take complete control of the proceedings with the bat.

Ganguly carried on from where he left off on day one, mixing caution with some aggressive strokeplay.

While Ganguly was at his elegant best, Dhoni displayed some brutal strength, taking the Australian bowlers to the cleaners. The Indian skipper was at his attacking best and he made his intentions clear right at the onset as he hammered two hook shots for a boundary and a six minutes after coming to the middle.

Dhoni smashed Cameron white for a huge six after lunch to reach his fifty. Soon, Ganguly reached his 16th century in Test cricket soon after lunch with a sweetly timed flick off his pads.

But soon, the former India skipper miscued one off White to offer a skier to Brett Lee at deep mid-off. He hit 11 boundaries in his 25-ball knock.

Dhoni accelerated the scoring after Ganguly fell and clobbered White for two sixes in an over. But the Indian tail could not wag like it did in Bangalore as Harbhajan Singh (one) and Zaheer Khan (two) perished soon as Dhoni was left stranded with debutant Amit Mishra.

Dhoni, after bludgeoning four sixes and eight boundaries, fell eight short of his hundred, leg-before to Peter Siddle to a dubious umpiring decision.

In the morning session, Australia toiled hard with the sole success coming in the form of Ishant Sharma. Siddle's bouncer aimed at Ishant's ribcage saw him fending it only to offer a simple take for Simon Katich at leg slip.

Siddle took three for 114 in his first outing in Test cricket.

Day One Report