Friday 13 January 2012

Peter Siddle puts Australia on top as India continue to slide in Perth


On song: Peter Siddle's wicket-fest summer continued at the WACA 
Australia paceman Peter Siddle snared two wickets just before tea to ensure Australia retained control on the opening day of the third Test against India at the WACA Ground.
The right-armer was rewarded for his persistence, on a hot day in Perth, as he removed Virat Kohli and VVS Laxman in successive overs just before the interval to leave India precariously placed at 144 for six.
Kohli and Laxman had added 68 for the fifth wicket, a stand that had threatened to blunt Australia's good work before lunch, when India's top-order again folded after home skipper Michael Clarke opted to immediately use a four-pronged pace attack on a fast-paced surface.
That decision was vindicated when India slumped to 63 for four in the opening session, but Laxman and Kohli dug in impressively after the break to keep the hosts' enthused attack at bay.
The Indians opted for grit rather than strokeplay and added just 26 in 14 overs after lunch.
But their tenacity was matched by Siddle who, despite showing signs the hot conditions were affecting him, claimed both batsman in a tireless spell just before tea.
Kohli had been far more fluent than Laxman as he progressed to 44, flicking everything off his pads, before he was caught by David Warner at point after driving too far in front of his body.
Laxman's stoic resistence was then also ended in Siddle's next over when he edged through to Clarke at first slip after making 31 from 86 balls.
Already 2-0 down in the four-Test series India's hopes for a strong start were immediately dashed as their top order again struggled against a disciplined Australian attack.
Ben Hilfenhaus got the ball rolling in just the fourth over when he removed the dangerous Virender Sehwag without scoring.
The Tasmanian right-armer produced a peach of an outswinger that Sehwag prodded forward tentatively to only to get a thick edge to Ricky Ponting at second slip.
India lost a second wicket in the opening hour when Rahul Dravid, who turned 39 earlier this week, was bowled for the fourth time in his past five innings on the stroke of drinks.
After scrapping to nine the veteran's latest failure had some misfortune about it, after the ball ricocheted from inside edge and then pad before hitting his stumps, although an in-form Dravid would have expected to deal with an innocuous full delivery from Siddle into his legs.
That brought Sachin Tendulkar to the crease and, after he was greeted with rapturous applause from the normally partisan home fans, he began confidently, driving Siddle to the straight fence with his first three scoring shots.
Australia's bowlers quickly re-established the lines that have tormented India so much in this series and Tendulkar could only add three more runs in the next half hour before playing outside a Ryan Harris off-cutter to be trapped lbw for 15.
It was a key wicket although the most important scalp of the session was arguably Gautam Gambhir's just before lunch after he had made gritty progress to 31.
The left hander had looked intent on defiance, and had kept the Australian bowlers out until he edged Hilfenhaus to wicketkeeper Brad Haddin.
Australia's four-man attack mirrored their strategy in last year's Perth Test - when they claimed their only win of an otherwise one-sided Ashes - as Harris and inexperienced left-armer Mitchell Starc came in for off-spinner Nathan Lyon and the injured James Pattinson.
India followed suit as they took they employed four seamers in a Test for the first time since Sydney in 1992. That meant spinner as Ravichandran Ashwin made way for debutant Vinay Kumar.
Source:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket/international/australia/9012097/Peter-Siddle-puts-Australia-on-top-as-India-continue-to-slide-in-Perth.html

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