Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi, Oct 29: The first day of the third Test match against Australia ended on a high note for India as Gautam Gambhir, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman shined with the willow to power the Indian total to 296 runs for the loss of 3 wickets. In a short-tempered day of cricket, it was the big partnerships that did the trick for the home team.
Gautam Gambhir proved his mettle on his home ground as he scored his 3rd Test century in style. He was unbeaten at 149 runs at the end of the day’s play with Laxman giving him company at 54 runs.
Laxman slammed his 36th Test fifty and handled the Australian bowlers with guile to cement India’s foothold over the first day’s play. The final session of play saw tempers flaring from both ends as the visitors looked hapless in their endeavour to bag a few wickets as the combination of Laxman and Gambhir stood rock solid in the run-piling process.
Toss
Anil Kumble won the toss and elected to bat first against Australia at Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium. The big news of the morning was the exclusion of spinner Harbhajan Singh from the playing XI due to fitness issues owing to a toe injury.
The local lad Amit Mishra was given a chance in the squad due to this while the Australian outfit also made a change in the team composition and included Stuart Clark in pace of Peter Siddle.
Morning Session
The duo of Gambhir and Tendulkar steadied the Indian ship after the early hiccups, taking the total to 67 runs for the loss of 2 wickets at lunch on Day 1. With the ball offering some movement to the Australian bowlers, the two ensured that the home team did not lose more wickets in the first session.
The morning seemed to belong to Australia as Mitchell Johnson sent tremors down the Indian batting line-up as soon as he was introduced in the attack as he got the scalp of Rahul Dravid. He drew the batsman to nick a fuller, angling away delivery into the hands of Matthew Hayden standing at 1st slip.
Earlier in the morning, Brett Lee had struck a thunderous blow to the Indian campaign early on as he claimed the prized wicket of Virender Sehwag. The batsman was out LBW at a score of 1 run to give the visitors an upper hand in the initial spell.
Post-Lunch Session
Australian pacer Mitchell Johnson got the desired breakthrough just when his team needed it the most, claiming the prized scalp of Sachin Tendulkar. The batsman was caught behind the stumps by Brad Haddin at a score of 68 runs. The fall of the wicket saw Indian scorecard reading 158 runs for the loss of three wickets at tea.
Prior to this, the pair of Tendulkar and Gambhir consolidated on the hard work done earlier in the day and with a set eye, dictated the proceedings in the post-lunch session. The two took the total past 150 runs in quick time amid a flurry of elegantly timed shots.
The combo hit some cherries off the middle of the blade, sending the leather beyond the boundary ropes, to enthral spectators at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium.
India had earlier raced past the 100 run-mark, owing to some brilliant shot-making by Tendulkar who also hit his 51st Test fifty in the process. The batting stalwart was aptly supported by Gambhir who also notched a fine half century in the face of a strict Aussie bowling attack.
Teams
India (Playing XI): Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Saurav Ganguly, Mahendra Singh Dhoni(w), Anil Kumble(c), Amit Mishra, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma
Australia (Playing XI): Matthew Hayden, Simon Katich, Ricky Ponting(c), Michael Clarke, Mike Hussey, Shane Watson, Brad Haddin(w), Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson, Cameron White, Stuart Clark
