3rd Test: Bhuvneshwar pegs Australia back to raise hopes of India win

Whatever the Australians gained in the first two sessions of the third Test, was surrendered, when they lost three quick wickets, all to Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

CHANDIGARH: Most cricketing pundits were thinking that the Mohali Test was petering towards a tame draw, till the visitors were undone by Bhuvneshwar Kumar's swing in the final hour of Day 4. Whatever the Australians gained in the first two sessions, was surrendered, when they lost three quick wickets, all to Kumar, and going into the final day the visitors now run the risk of losing the third Test too.



Adding to the Australians' anxiety is the question mark surrounding Michael Clarke, who suffered a back injury on Sunday and it is uncertain when and where the Aussie skipper will bat if the team needs him. Throughout the day Clarke was troubled by his back and was seen stretching in the middle during the passage of play.

Openers David Warner, Ed Cowan and Steve Smith all were back in the hut and India's unlikely hero was the 23-year-old Kumar, who moved the ball prodigiously in his first spell. Warner swished at an away going delivery to be caught behind while Cowan played all over a delivery which kept straight. However, Smith got a peach, a ball which shaped in but held its line and crashed into the off-stump.

India's first innings lead of 91 began to look all the more formidable as the visitors ended the penultimate day at 75 for 3, with Phil Hughes (53) and night watchman Nathan Lyon (4) at the crease.

Australia though had their moments during the day. To their credit, they bowled out the Indian team — a batting collapse of sorts after Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay had put on 283 for the first wicket the day before — for an addition of 216 runs. Dhawan soon had to realize the highs and lows of the game as he was dismissed of the 11th ball of the day, after adding just two runs. Peter Siddle accounted for Cheteshwar Pujara, to give Australia a double breakthrough early into the first hour. Though, the leg before decision given by umpire Richard Kettleborough was dubious as Pujara had clearly inside-edged the ball.

Meanwhile, Vijay quietly moved onto his third Test century (all against the Aussies). Just before lunch, Clarke played a punt and introduced Steve Smith into the attack. The leg-spinner's first ball dipped in on Sachin Tendulkar, landed perfectly and spun a bit, taking the master's inside edge, as Cowan took a simple catch at short-leg.

In the second session, Vijay and Kohli carried on the good work, but things changed once Clarke took the second new ball. Mitchell Starc and Peter Siddle got appreciable movement and struck immediately. Vijay (153) didn't offer a shot to an incoming delivery and was caught plumb in front.

In Seventh Heaven

Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan became the seventh pair of Indian openers to register individual hundreds. Here are details of India's centurion openers...

Centurions	Stand	Opposition	Venue	Season	Result
114 Vijay Merchant	203	England	Manchester	1936	Drawn
112 S Mushtaq Ali
231 Vinoo Mankad	413	New Zealand	Chennai	1955-56	Won
173 Pankaj Roy
172 Sunil Gavaskar	191	Australia	Sydney	1985-86	Drawn
116 Kris Srikkanth
254 Virender Sehwag	410	Pakistan	Lahore	2005-06	Drawn
128* Rahul Dravid
129 Dinesh Karthik	175	Bangladesh	Mirpur	2007	Won
138* Wasim Jaffer
167 Gautam Gambhir	233	Sri Lanka	Kanpur	2009-10	Won
131 Virender Sehwag
153 Murali Vijay	289	Australia	Mohali	2012-13	Awaited
187 Shikhar Dhawan