India 311 for 1 (Pujara 162*, Vijay 129*) lead Australia 237 for 9 dec by 74 runs
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The mercury touched 35C during the Hyderabad afternoon and large swathes
of the Uppal stadium are roofless, but that didn't stop the
28,000-strong Sunday crowd from breaking into Mexican waves as M Vijay
and Cheteshwar Pujara ran amok with an unbroken 294-run stand, which put
India in command of the second Test.
The day also showcased the variety Test cricket allows, with India's
scoring-rate jumping dramatically in every session. They were restricted
to 49 runs in the morning, Pujara and Vijay then became more expansive
to pick off 106 runs in the second session, before going berserk
post-tea to pile on 151 runs against a wilting Australia.
The disgruntled murmurs over Australia's team selection for this match
will only grow louder after Glenn Maxwell, who batted at No. 8, was
introduced into the attack as late as the 47th over, and was easily
dealt with - his 10 overs were caned for 55 runs. His inclusion had
plenty of parallels with the ill-fated gamble on Cameron White - another
Victoria batsman who could bowl a bit and was used as a spinner batting
at No. 8 - during the unsuccessful 2008 India tour.
The other spinner, Xavier Doherty, posed a bit more of a threat, though
he too fared as poorly as most Australian spinners have in India over
the years. The visitors' well-documented worries over the strength of
their spin department would have increased when he began with two
friendly full tosses on leg stump, but he got a few deliveries to rip
off the pitch and turn sharply past the outside edge.
Both Pujara and Vijay were sure-footed against the spinners, skipping
down the track to crash the ball through covers or whip to the leg side.
They didn't allow the spinners to settle either - when Doherty returned
to bowl after lunch, his second delivery was powered over mid-off for
six by Vijay.
Vijay had kept those sort of flamboyant shots to a minimum early in his
innings.
India's dominance on the day came on the back of a watchful morning
session, in which both batsmen looked to play straight, shelving the
cross-batted shots that had cost Australia dearly on the first day.
After twin failures in Chennai, Vijay needed a big innings to push his
case for the remaining Tests. In the first few overs of the day, he
chased a couple of short-and-wide deliveries, prompting the usual
concerns over his temperament for Test cricket, before buckling down and
playing more patiently. It was only after he was well set that his
stylish flicks and natural aggression re-appeared.
With this century, Vijay could become India's first-choice opener
because the selectors' patience with Virender Sehwag will be running low
after he nicked Peter Siddle to fall for 6 - he now has only one
50-plus score in 13 innings.
Sehwag's early dismissal was offset by the increasingly reassuring
presence of Pujara at No. 3. Though he injured his knee diving to
complete a risky single early in his innings, hampering his running
between the wickets, he showed his hunger for runs. He didn't shirk the
quick singles, and despite hobbling frequently he again displayed the
concentration and technique that has led to his Test-match skills being
talked up in recent years.
The other standout feature of Pujara's career has been his penchant for
big scores. While his frequent double-and triple-centuries in domestic
cricket have been pooh-poohed a bit for being made on the flat tracks of
Rajkot, even at the Test level, this was his third 150-plus score in
the five times he has passed 50.
He repeatedly opened the face to guide the quicks to the third-man
boundary, and stepped out to muscle the spinners through cover. He has
been typecast as a Test player, but as the day progressed he showed off
his repertoire of strokes, speeding from 100 to 150 in just 42
deliveries, getting to that milestone with an audacious hook for six off
Siddle.
With the partnership growing, Australia looked short of wicket-taking
options. James Pattinson and Siddle were unwavering in the morning but
had little joy with the old ball, and Moises Henriques acquitted himself
well as a back-up seamer though not as one who could pick up a clutch
of wickets.
Michael Clarke let the game drift after tea, pinning all his hopes on
the second new ball. India rattled off 102 in the first 17 overs of the
final session and even when the quicks took the new ball, India's
momentum didn't subside. There was a chance in the penultimate over of
the day, when Doherty forced Pujara to nick, but the ball deflected off
Matthew Wade's pad to evade Clarke at first slip. Clarke was left
pounding the turf in frustration as Australia completed a day to forget.
Siddarth Ravindran is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo
Feeds: Siddarth Ravindran
© ESPN EMEA Ltd.
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