BRISBANE: Chris Rogers missed a chance to post a much-needed big score when he was out in the over before tea in Australia's reply to India's 408 on day two of the second Test on Thursday.
Rogers raised his sixth Test half-century with a cut for four off Ravichandran Ashwin as he looked for runs in Brisbane after recent batting failures.
But the 37-year-old left-hander dabbled at Umesh Yadav and gave a leg-side catch to keeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni to leave the Australians 121 for three at tea. Steve Smith was not out six.
It was a good session for India, who removed the dangerous David Warner for 29 in the ninth over.
Warner, who scored twin centuries in the Adelaide series opener, attempted to pull Yadav only for the ball to come off the top of his bat and pop up for Ashwin to take a comfortable catch running back from slip.
Shane Watson looked at ease before losing concentration on 25 and finding Shikhar Dhawan in the deep, giving off-spinner Ashwin his first wicket.
Debutant Josh Hazlewood captured five wickets and Brad Haddin equalled a wicketkeeping record as Australia dismissed India for 408 at lunch.
Paceman Hazlewood led the way with three scalps on the second morning as the Australians bounced back after Wednesday's horror day in the field in sweltering conditions.
Haddin equalled the Australian record of six dismissals in an innings held by Wally Grout, Ian Healy and Rod Marsh with two more catches on the second morning.
The Australians began the day well with two wickets in the opening 40 minutes before Dhoni and Ashwin regained the initiative with a belligerent seventh-wicket stand.
The pair put on 57 in equal time before Ashwin became Hazlewood's fourth wicket, playing away from his body and edging chest-high to Shane Watson at slip for 35.
Dhoni cracked 33 off 53 balls with four fours before he fell to the Hazlewood-Haddin combination.
Hazlewood was far and away Australia's best bowler with five for 68, while left-armer Mitchell Starc continued to struggle with his line and length and was punished, going wicketless for 83 runs.
Hazlewood struck early enticing an edge off Ajinkya Rahane with a late outswinger to give Haddin his fifth catch of the innings.
Rahane hit 81 off 132 balls with nine fours and put on 60 for the fifth wicket with Rohit Sharma.
New skipper Smith pulled off a magnificent sprawling catch at second slip to dismiss Sharma for 32 off Watson in the 92nd over.
Starc, whose body language was labelled "soft" by Test great Shane Warne during his TV commentary on Wednesday, again proved ineffective.
Comments
Comments are closed.