Openers put India in charge after Mishra heroics

New Delhi: Leg-spinner Amit Mishra's maiden five-wicket haul on debut put India in a commanding position by the end of the third day's play of the second Test against Australia in Mohali on Sunday.

By close, India had raced to 100 for no loss with an overall lead of 301 runs with Virender Sehwag unbeaten on 53 and Gautam Gambhir batting on 46, after Australia were bowled out for 268 despite a valiant 78 from Shane Watson, his maiden Test fifty.

India chose not to enforce the follow-on despite a 201-run lead, with signs of wear on the Mohali surface becoming all too evident after the spinners' first innings exploits.

Haryana spinner Mishra's 5-71 capped off India's splendid display with the ball on day three, which began with Ishant Sharma nailing overnight batsman Michael Hussey (54) seven overs into the day.

Hussey, who reached a well-compiled half-century — his 10th — was sent back after being troubled frequently by the tall right-arm paceman, with the bowler beating the left-hander often before finding an edge that was easily taken by captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Harbhajan Singh, who went wicketless on the second day, bowled Brad Haddin through his defence for nine before leg-spinner Amit Mishra castled Cameron White with a classical googly for his third wicket in the innings with the Aussies staring at a massive deficit at 174-7.

A 73-run partnership for the eighth wicket between Shane Watson and Brett Lee might not be of as great a significance as that of between Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh in the first Test, but that Australia got as near as within 200-odd runs was enough to save them the burden of batting again.

By the time Lee was out, cleaned up by Harbhajan Singh for his second wicket, he had done his job. He hung around when it was needed, then launched a fierce counterattack on the bowlers, including a verbal joust with Zaheer which didn't quite bring out the best from the pacer.

But amid a boisterous group of veterans led out by a flamboyant stand-in skipper, it was the youthful energy coupled with traditions of leg-spin rooted in flighting the ball which would make you see the revolutions from far away.

It was Amit Mishra's day, who spun the ball viciously, landed it at places which troubled the batsmen more often than not, tossed it up further even as the batsmen went after him. It wasn't the element of surprise, the googly, but the conventional leg-spinner that pitches on middle and off and turns further away, which came as a pleasant surprise.

Day II Report

Day I Report