Laxman century boosts India

India’s batsmen finally found their feet in Australia, led by their favourite basher of Australian bowling, VVS Laxman. Laxman hit a scintillating 109, while Rahul Dravid ground his way to 53. Australia had added 87 to their overnight 376 for 7 in the morning session. For the second day in a row, however, the batsmen making hay was not without incident.

Andrew Symonds had received two Umpiring reprieves yesterday, and he somehow managed a third in Harbhajan Singh’s second over of the day. The seamers had proved ineffectual, Rudra Pratap Singh and Ishant Sharma failing to get the new ball to swing and seam as they had on the opening day, and Anil Kumble perhaps might have introduced Harbhajan and himself earlier. Symonds stood right on the edge of his crease to Harbhajan, and when one spun down the leg-side Mahendra Dhoni waited a second, then whipped off the bails. Steve Bucknor did not even call for video replays (though Bruce Oxenford had not even been able to properly interpret them the previous day, so perhaps it might have been redundant), but when shown to TV viewers they showed fairly conclusively that Symonds had no part of his foot behind the line as the stumps were disturbed.

Nonetheless, Symonds was relatively quiet compared to his partners. Brett Lee advanced to 59, driving confidently through the off against the plentiful over-pitched deliveries from the seamers. Kumble eventually dismissed him lbw, though there was a thought that the ball may have struck him fractionally outside the line of off, but then Mitchell Johnson flailed away, clubbing a 30-ball 28. He eventually lofted Kumble to Sourav Ganguly at deep-mid-wicket, and Kumble wrapped-up the innings in his next over when he trapped Stuart Clark lbw with a straight delivery. Kumble had grabbed the last 4 wickets to finish with 4-106. Symonds ended on 162*, featuring let-offs on 30, 48 and 148.

India had to face 3 overs before lunch, in which Brett Lee was unable to make the batsmen play. This changed after the break, and in the 7th Lee produced a pearler: perfectly pitched on the yorker length, the ball swung away late and gave Wasim Jaffer no realistic prayer of keeping it out. Johnson’s first 4 overs cost just 9, but Laxman looked in sublime touch, especially through the off, and was soon persecuting the Queensland left-armer. He took 10 from his 5th and 19 from his 8th, in all the bowler conceding 40 from his 5th to his 8th. However, in almost an action-replay of events at the MCG, Johnson had Dravid – on 15 – caught at second-slip by Ricky Ponting in his 6th… with his front-foot well over the popping-crease.

Dravid made productive use of that let-off, as he had not done in the First Test, and kept Laxman good company. Though the Hyderabad right-hander slowed down when Johnson was taken out of the attack he still managed to finish the session with an innings scored at more than a-run-a-ball. In a passable impression of tortoises and hares, Dravid was on 18 from 88 at the break, Laxman 73 from 71.

The scoring was more evenly distributed in the final session, though Laxman should have been gone in the first over: he pushed forward at a good delivery from Lee, finding away-swing even in the 31st over, and Adam Gilchrist somehow managed to put down a simple catch to his right. Laxman took toll, and completed a scintillating century – from just 127 balls – in the 48th, pulling Brad Hogg through mid-wicket. Hogg, finally introduced after tea, could not keep control of his wristspin, dragging the ball down repeatedly. Dravid completed his half-century in the 53rd, the relief palpable as he drove Johnson to the extra-cover boundary.

Perhaps he was too relieved, as he offered an indiscriminate cut-stroke later in the over and was caught, this time off a legitimate delivery, by Matthew Hayden at first-slip. Laxman fell an over later, caught at short-extra-cover by Michael Hussey off a flipper from Hogg as he failed to keep the drive down. This left Sachin Tendulkar and Ganguly to negotiate 8 further overs. They had little difficulty, and indeed cashed-in as Hogg continued to pitch short, and Tendulkar also smashed one huge slogged-sweep over mid-on. They closed on 216 for 3, still 247 behind but with significant hope of getting up to and maybe even beyond Australia’s total. Rain is forecast over the weekend, and the quantity it arrives in may play a significant role in whether or not this Test reaches a conclusion. India cannot worry about this yet, and most focus on making the most of a surface which has continued to play beautifully throughout the game.

Australia 463
Ricky Ponting 55, Michael Hussey 41, Andrew Symonds 162*, Brad Hogg 79, Brett Lee 59
Anil Kumble 4-106

India 216 for 3
Rahul Dravid 53, VVS Laxman 109

India trail by 247 runs with 7 wickets remaining in the first-innings