Johnson strikes to lift Australia

Mitchell Johnson grabs 3 wickets to help Australia gain an advantage in the opening Test against India.

MOHALI: Mitchell Johnson grabbed three quick wickets to help Australia gain a slender advantage in the opening Test after India’s Sachin Tendulkar missed out on his 49th century. India were comfortably placed at 354 for four in their first innings before collapsing dramatically to 405 all out at stumps on the third day in reply to Australia’s 428 as fast-bowler Johnson finished with five for 64.

Tendulkar, the world’s leading scorer in Tests and One-Day Internationals, made a solid 98 before falling to part-time spinner Marcus North in the final session, trapped leg-before while attempting to play across the line. Suresh Raina scored 86 with 14 fours and Rahul Dravid made a solid 77, but India still failed to gain the lead.

Johnson, who dismissed Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag on the second day, again struck in the final session when he removed captain MS Dhoni for 14 and Harbhajan Singh off successive balls. He then trapped Raina leg-before to complete his sixth haul of five or more wickets in a Test innings.

“As a bowling unit, we stuck to our task the whole day. Bollinger did well but Hauritz was out of luck,” said Johnson.

“It is just that in the last hour, things came together for us. We will have to bat the whole day tomorrow and hope the wicket breaks up when we come to bowl.”

For India, it was Tendulkar who played a key role, adding 79 for the fourth wicket with Dravid and 124 for the next with Raina as Australia struggled in the first two sessions.

Raina was on 48 when he survived a stumping chance off Nathan Hauritz, with wicket-keeper Tim Paine failing to collect the ball. He survived again, this time on 60, when he uppishly drove Hauritz, with Johnson reacting late at mid-off. The fumbles continued as Hauritz was the unlucky bowler again when Shane Watson dropped Zaheer Khan when the batsman was on four.

The spinner eventually got his first wicket when he bowled Zaheer for six and then removed Venkatsai Laxman for two to end India’s innings.

“We are a little bit disappointed,” said Dravid. “We looked like going well at one stage but they bowled well in the last session. A bit of a collapse left the game pretty even.

“We will have to bowl well tomorrow and put pressure on them.”

Published in The Express Tribune, October 4^th, 2010.