Indian spinners snap up three wickets after lunch (Tea report)

BANGALORE - Indian spinners Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ojha snapped up three Australian wickets to restrict the visitors to 189/3 in the post-lunch session on day one of the second cricket Test here Saturday.

At tea, skipper Ricky Ponting (49 batting) and middle order batsman Michael Hussey (34 batting) were in the middle at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Singh evicted opener Simon Katich (43, 7×4)) in the opening over of the session with Rahul Dravid taking a fine catch in the first slip after the Australians put on 99 runs for their first wicket after electing to bat.

Katich’s opening partner Shane Watson (57, 9×4) followed soon, with wicketkeeper M.S. Dhoni taking a sharp catch off the batsman’s gloves after Ojha induced an edge with a turning ball.

Michael Clarke (14) also did not last long and failed to negotiate a flighted stuff from Singh to finish in the hands of Suresh Raina at backward short leg. Australia were then 132/3.

Ponting (49) and Hussey, however, steadied the ship by stitiching together an unfinished 52-run fourth-wicket stand.

Gujarat youngster Cheteshwar Pujara made Test debut when he was included in the 11-member India team in place of Mohali hero V.V.S. Laxman, who has been down with back spasm.

In the Australian line-up, Peter George was taken in place of seamer Doug Bollinger.