Clarke and Ponting stand and deliver

CRICKET AUSTRALIA v INDIA (Second Test):AN UNBEATEN 79-run stand between Michael Clarke and Ricky Ponting left Australia in a strong position after their in-form pace attack skittled India for 191 on a dramatic opening day at the SCG.

Having ripped through India’s batting line-up in just over two sessions, James Pattinson, Ben Hilfenhaus and Peter Siddle sharing all 10 wickets between them, the hosts also found the going tough on a greenish wicket as Zaheer Khan produced a destructive opening spell.

The left-armer removed David Warner (eight), Shaun Marsh (0) and Ed Cowan (16) to reduce Australia to a precarious 37 for three before Ponting (44 not out) and Clarke (47no) steered the hosts to 116 for three at stumps.

Warner was first to depart when he edged to VVS Laxman at second slip. Laxman fumbled the regulation chance but Sachin Tendulkar snaffled the rebound to send the dangerous left-hander trudging back to the pavilion.

Marsh fell to an almost identical delivery from Khan at the start of the paceman’s next over, but this time Laxman made no mistake to send the batsman packing for a golden duck.

Cowan was Khan’s next victim when he was trapped in front of his stumps, leaving Australia in some trouble with less than 10 overs gone.

However, current captain Clarke joined former skipper Ponting at the crease and the experienced duo helped put their side in the ascendancy with a quick-scoring counter-attack.

Earlier, Pattinson (four for 43), Hilfenhaus (three for 51) and Siddle (three for 55) picked up where they left off in Melbourne with another world-class display of pace bowling.

India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni top scored for the tourists with an unbeaten 57 after winning the toss and electing to bat, while Tendulkar was the only other batsman to look comfortable against Australia’s pace trio.

The Little Master looked in ominous touch but will have to wait another day for his 100th international century after dragging a wide ball from Pattinson on to his stumps for 41 in the middle session.

Dhoni and Ravi Ashwin put on a valuable 54 runs for the seventh wicket before Hilfenhaus removed Ashwin (20) and Khan (nought) with the final two deliveries of the session to reduce India to 178 for eight at tea.

Dhoni came out swinging at the resumption, reaching his maiden half-century on Australian soil with a blistering cover drive off Siddle before running out of partners.

Sharma departed for a duck when he fended a short ball from Hilfenhaus straight to Cowan at short leg before Umesh Yadav became Siddle’s 100th Test victim when he edged behind to Brad Haddin.

Needing a victory to square the series, the tourists made a dismal start as Gautam Gambhir (nought), Rahul Dravid (five), Virender Sehwag (30) and VVS Laxman (two) all fell before lunch.

Pattinson was the chief destroyer in the opening session, claiming three wickets.

India coach Duncan Fletcher said his team just needed a bit more luck after a largely calamitous opening day. Fletcher said credit must also be given to the Australian bowlers for a fine performance and batsmen Clarke and Ponting, but he also defended his players’ efforts.

“The mood in the dressingroom has been very, very good. They’re working very hard at nets, they’re putting in the effort, they’re trying their best,” he said.

“It’s just sometimes in cricket we just need a little bit of good fortune. You look at Sachin today, how often would he play on from that width, more often than not he would have put that through the covers for four. Sometimes it goes against you and sometimes it runs with you.”

Fletcher said he was hoping for more partnerships from the middle order for the rest of the series and did not think the cause was lost in Sydney.

Encouraged by paceman Zaheer Khan dismissing Australia’s top three batsmen with just 37 runs on the board, Fletcher said India were just a wicket away from some kind of parity.

“If they had been four down tonight, we would have been pretty happy with that,” he said.

“If we can just get one of those wickets early tomorrow, hopefully two, and put their lower order under a little bit of pressure, we can probably get them out for the same sort of total that we scored.”