Tendulkar and Vijay defy Australia scoring centuries

BANGALORE - Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar and young opening batsman Murali Vijay Monday guided India to 435 for five wickets in reply to Australia’s 478 in the first innings on day three of the second and final Test at the M. Chinnaswamy cricket stadium here.

It was Vijay’s maiden Test hundred while Tendulkar was still going strong at stumps with 191 not out, nine runs

short of his sixth double century in 171 Tests and second against Australia.

After scoring his 49th Test hundred with two successive sixes over long-

on, the 37-year-old master blaster surpassed West Indian’s hero Brian Lara

in crossing the 150-mark for the 20th time.

It is also Tendukar’s sixth hundred this year, a world record, after

creating another record Sunday by crossing the 14,000-mark in Test cricket.

Stepping into the middle Sunday after the exit of Rahul Dravid at 38 for 2,

the diminutive Mumbaikar dominated the Aussie attack to post a record

308-run third wicket partnership with Vijay through the first two sessions.

Opening the innings with Virender Sehwag in place of injured southpaw

Gautham Gambhir, Vijay had the privilege of partnering with the legendary

Tendulkar and scoring 139 off 310 balls with 14 fours and two sixes.

The breakthrough for a desperate Australia came in the post-tea session when

Vijay was caught behind by keeper Tim Paine off a rising ball from Mitchell

Johnson in the 101st over with 346 on board.

Having scented blood, Johnson trapped Test debutant Cheteshwar Pujara legbefore

in the following over for 4 runs.

Tendulakar and Suresh Raina, however, steered India past 400 and with their 61-run partnership for the fifth wicket.

Raina fell to part-time spin bowler and Aussie vice-captain Michel Clark

for 32 with five fours when he was caught by Ben Hilfenhaus.

Dhoni joined Tendulkar to ensure India crossed the 450-mark before the

stumps were drawn, 28 runs short of Australian total (478).

Though one down in the current series for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after

losing the first Test at Mohali, the Aussies need to fold up India’s

first innings before lunch Tuesday and then put up a score that can exert pressure on the Indians in the fourth innings.

Of the seven bowlers skipper Ricky Pointing employed to face the Indian

onslaught, only Johnson was successful to take thee wicket, while Hilfenhaus

and Clarke shared one each. Off-spinner Nathan Hauritz was their most expensive bowler, conceding 153 runs in his 39 overs, four of which maidens.

— Indo-Asian News Service