Normal Service Resumed

Australia once again showed why they are No 1 in the World, brushing aside India for 196 on day two at the MCG, this despite a quality innings of 62 by Sachin Tendulkar.

India found themselves batting early on day two after quickly claiming the last Australian wicket of Stuart Clark for 21, without addition to his overnight score, in fact Australia only added six runs and were all out for 343.

The Indian openers faced with some extremely accurate bowling from Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson commenced at a snail pace which seemed to give the Aussies more confidence and there was little surprise when Wasim Jaffer was caught at the wicket from the bowling of Lee for just four (4-1 after 8 overs).

At the other end an out of form Rahul Dravid was dropped in the slips once and caught in the same position from a no-ball, the unlucky bowler on both occasions being Johnson. Finally Dravid and the crowd were put out of their misery when Clark trapped him in front on the stroke of lunch for five off 66 balls (31-2).

This brought Tendulkar to the wicket to join VVS Laxman, the former showed his intent to rest the initiative back from the bowlers, playing some elegant shots and being particularly severe on ‘chinaman’ bowler Brad Hogg.

Lee again showed he is now the ‘go to man’ claiming the wicket of Laxman 26 with a throat ball that the batsman had no choice but to parry into the slips where Ricky Ponting claimed a good catch (55-3).

A sigh of relief from the Australia team, and one of disappointment from the crowd, greeted the dismissal of Tendulkar for 62, when he chopped the ball onto his stumps from the bowling of Clark (120-4)

Clark then broke the back of the Indian batting claiming Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni for ducks to reduce the visitors to 122-6. Stuart Clark seems to be the perfect replacement for Glen McGrath; tall-metronome- miserly and always at the batsman.

When Hogg finally landed his flipper to bowl the inform Sourav Ganguly for a well crafted 43 (166-7) the Aussies were now firmly in charge and despite a fighting 27 from brave captain Anil Kumble who was the victim of a very doubtful catch at the wicket from the bowling of Lee, the Indian tail was soon brushed away all out for 196.

Australia then batted out the last few overs to finish 32-0 at stumps an overall lead of 179 runs. It is hard to see India stopping the Aussies making it 15 in a row sometime on the fourth day.

It was a day of records for the Australian team with Brett Lee claiming his 250th wicket and Adam Gilchrist equaling the Australian record for the most dismissals by an Aussie Wicket Keeper.

Australia First Innings 337-9
Matthew Hayden 124, Phil Jaques 66

Anil Kumble 5-84, Yuvraj Singh 4-94

India First Innings 196
Sachin Tendulkar 62, Sourav Ganguly 43

Brett Lee 4-46, Stuart Clark 4-28