Australia storming towards 3-0 lead

India 161 and 4 for 88 (Starc 2-14) trail Australia 369 (Warner 180, Cowan 74, Yadav 5-93) by 120 runs

Mitchell Starc dismissed Gautam Gambhir and Sachin Tendulkar in the second innings to send India hurtling towards defeat © Getty Images

David Warner's 180 powered Australia to a strong lead before their bowlers set about routing India a second time on day two of the third Test at the WACA ground. Australia were cut down for 369 after an opening stand of 214 between Warner and Ed Cowan, but any gains made by India's bowlers were frittered away by their batsmen, who limped to 4 for 88. They were still 120 runs short of making Australia bat again, and a handful of wickets away from surrendering the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

It was the left-armer Mitchell Starc's turn to be the visitors' chief tormentor, swinging the ball at high pace while also gaining some steepling bounce. Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus also struck to maintain their summer jaunt through the visitors' batting, while Ryan Harris beat the bat often.

Rahul Dravid and Virat Kohli were India's last faint hope, but it seemed a forlorn one given how the ball continued to swing, seam and bounce. The failures of the other top-order batsmen opened the question of whether or not Rohit Sharma will debut in Adelaide.

Starc defeated Gautam Gambhir with a ball that pranced at the batsman and looped to gully off the bat handle, and then pinned Sachin Tendulkar lbw with in-swing. Tendulkar was unhappy about the decision, shaking his head as he walked off then reacting with dismay to replays that showed the ball clipping leg stump. Virender Sehwag was undone by a Siddle delivery that lifted and left him, while VVS Laxman made another duck on a wretched tour, edging Hilfenhaus' outswinger into the cordon.

For all of India's woes, their bowlers had again found a trace of brittleness in the hosts' batting. Australia lost all 10 wickets for 155 from the time Cowan was the first man out, underlining the value of Warner's innings, among the most brazen played by a Test opener, and his partnership of contrast with the more restrained Cowan. However it reflected poorly on the batsmen that Siddle's 30 was the next best score.

Yadav claimed five wickets for the first time in Tests, striking three times in a hostile morning spell, then Ishant, Zaheer Khan and Vinay Kumar chimed in across the afternoon to limit the hosts' lead to 208.

Resuming at 0 for 149, Cowan and Warner played in more or less the same vein as the previous evening. If Warner reined in his game at all, it was only in a nod to better bowling from the visitors. He was still inclined to swing for the fences every now and then, and crashed another straight drive over Ishant's head for his fourth six.

The first chance of the innings arrived at 193, Warner touching a well-pitched delivery from Zaheer only for it to be dropped by Kohli at first slip. Cowan accumulated soundly at the other end, reaching his second half-century of the series and rotating the strike intelligently. It was he who raised the 200 stand, pulling Yadav to the square-leg boundary to take Australia's openers past that mark for the first time since Simon Katich and Phil Jaques did it against West Indies in 2008.

Thoughts had turned to the possibility of a Cowan century when Yadav moved around the wicket and produced a delivery that moved back a shade to burst between the opener's bat and pad and disturb the stumps. Cowan was crestfallen to have left the middle, but the following passage would show that batting was not as easy as it had seemed.

Warner was struck a painful blow on the elbow, requiring the physio's attention for the second time in his innings, and Marsh fell cheaply for the fourth time in as many innings this series. He played at a delivery that left him and snicked to Laxman at second slip. Ponting managed one back-foot cover drive before he too was undone by Yadav, who found just enough swing and seam from the off to flatten the former captain's middle stump.

The merry progress of Warner continued in a stand of 48 with his captain Michael Clarke, before the opener finally miscued a loft to offer an outfield catch. Much as Warner cussed, the end of the innings reflected the crazy brave manner of its construction.

Clarke received a fine delivery from Zaheer, angled in then moving subtly away, and a similar ball also accounted for Brad Haddin, the wicketkeeper's duck raising further questions about his place in the side. Michael Hussey battled for fluency and was oddly subservient to the cleaner hitting of Siddle in another brief stand, before Vinay collected his first wicket when Hussey cut to gully.

Siddle's fluent stay was ended when Yadav beat the outside edge to flick off stump, Harris perished for 9 when he lobbed a pull shot to square leg, and Hilfenhaus could not contain himself against Sehwag's off spin. But bad as Australia's batsmen had done once Warner departed, India would do worse. © ESPN EMEA Ltd.

Bradman museum to erect Tendulkar statue

The authorities of the Bradman Museum in Bowral are planning to build a statue of master blaster Sachin Tendulkar alongside Aussie legend, Sir Don Bradman.


Sachin Tendulkar with Sir Don Bradman in 1998

The great Australian had once said that Tendulkar bats like him and so the authorities felt that the Indian is the only candidate who can have a statue besides the Aussie great.

To execute the plan, the museum authorities have been repeatedly requesting Tendulkar to visit Bowral -- the city where Bradman was brought up and learnt his cricket since the age of four. But the maestro is believed to have refused the invitation saying, it's not possible during this tour and he has to come to this part of the world at another time.

Though the legendary Aussie batsman was born in Cootamundra, which is a one-and-a-half-hour drive from Bowral, he is known as the Boy from Bowral because he spent most of his time there.

The Aussie legend used to practise by throwing a golf ball at a water tank in Bowral. Sir Don once revealed that he worked on his concentration and timing by doing that. On entering the museum, a visitor is also allowed to practise with a stick by throwing a golf ball against a makeshift water tank.

Walking around the village, one will get to see two houses where he used to live and a beautiful picture of a cricket ground which is called the Bradman Oval. The cricket museum along with hall of fame -- which was inaugurated last year by Sunil Gavaskar -- cannot be missed either. — MiD DAY

Bhupathi-Bopanna knocked out of Chennai Open

Chennai: Top seeded Indian pair of Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna crashed out of the doubles event in the semifinals of the Aircel Chennai Open 2012 after losing to Israel's Andy Ram and Jonathan Erlich on Saturday.

The fourth seed Israeli pair came back from a set down to upset the title favourites in tie-breaker 4-6, 6-3, 10-8.

The 34-year-old Erlich slammed a volley from close to the net to return a Bopanna shot from the baseline to enter the final and set up a title clash with either third seeded Indo-Serbian pair of Leander Paes an Janko Tipsarevic or the all-American duo of Rajeev Ram and Scott Lipsky.

In a match that lasted about 90 minutes, the Indian pair wasted a breakpoint in the seventh game of the second set to go 4-3 up, following which Erlich and Ram won three games in succession, including game seven, to wrap up the set 6-3 and take the match into the tie-breaker.

In the tie-breaker, Erlich and Ram took the lead in the fifth point of Bhupathi's serve, when Erlich placed a serve return on the line. They went 6-4 up after Erlich rushed upfield after serving and placed a volley that the Indian pair could not return.

The Israeli pair was stretched in the tie-breaker by Bhupathi and Bopanna, but the latter's weak service returns and backhand returns let the team down.

Erlich and Ram have already made the final of the Chennai Open before, losing to the Spanish pair of Rafael Nadal and Tommy Robredo in the 2004 doubles title clash.

The first set saw both teams hold serve till the fifth game, when Bhupathi and Bopanna finally broke their Israeli opponents after wasting three breakpoints in the same game.

After allowing Ram and Erlich to come back from being 0-40 down, the Indian duo went 3-2 up after Erlich netted a forehand volley from a forward position. However, the Indian pair wasted an opportunity to go up 4-3 in the second set when Bopanna sent a return wide.

The second set saw Ram and Erlich break Bhupathi and Bopanna twice, in game four and eight.

In game four, the Israeli duo, just like their opponents, allowed them to come back into the game from 0-40 down on Bhupathi's serve. They finally broke them when Bhupathi netted a backhand return to gift them the game just after firing an ace to bring Bopanna and himself level to deuce.

In game eight, the Indian duo was broken on Bhupathi's serve as the Israeli pair went 5-3 up, wrapping up the set in the next game when Bhupathi netted a return off Erlich's serve, making it 6-3 and taking the match into the tie-breaker. — PTI

Hilfenhaus takes five in Australia's innings win

Australia 4 for 659 dec beat India 191 and 400 (Gambhir 83, Tendulkar 80, Laxman 66, Ashwin 62, Hilfenhaus 5-106) by an innings and 68 runs

Ben Hilfenhaus finished with 5 for 106 © Getty Images

This was supposed to be India's best chance to win a Test series in Australia. It has taken only eight days of cricket for Michael Clarke's men to deny them that goal. On the fourth afternoon in Sydney, an attack led by Ben Hilfenhaus deconstructed India's formidable batting line-up, bit by bit, to secure an unbeatable 2-0 series lead with victory by an innings and 68 runs, Australia's first innings win over India in 12 years.

The last such result also came at the SCG, in 2000. Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman were all part of that side, as they were members of the outfit that lost this time around. It is unlikely they will have another chance to beat Australia at home. For now, India still hold the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and should they win in Perth and Adelaide they will retain it. But their grip on it is as weak as Chris Martin's forward defence.

This was an Australian victory that will be remembered for Clarke's unbeaten 329. But on the fourth day, it was a second consecutive five-wicket haul from Hilfenhaus that was the highlight. Hilfenhaus completed the success with the final wicket when R Ashwin, who had made a fighting 62, skied a pull and was caught by Nathan Lyon running around from mid-on.

The Australians were overjoyed. Clarke especially was thrilled. His declaration on the third day, when he could have chased personal milestones like Brian Lara's world-record Test innings of 400, was designed to ensure Australia would win the match. They did so with three and a half sessions remaining. Clarke is not the kind of man to harbour any regrets. The win was everything.

He knew better than anyone that batting on the SCG surface was not particularly difficult, and as Tendulkar and Laxman put on a 103-run stand his mind might have flicked back eight years, to a 353-run partnership between the same men at the same ground. Fittingly, it was Clarke with his left-arm spin that ended the partnership, and India's hopes of saving the Test.

Tendulkar had reached 80 and seemed to be on track to register his long-awaited hundredth international hundred in the SCG's hundredth Test when Clarke changed the course of the day. He produced a delivery that was accurate enough to draw Tendulkar into a stroke and turned just enough to catch the edge, which ricocheted off Brad Haddin's gloves and was snaffled by Michael Hussey at slip.

When the new ball arrived, the other architect of that one threatening partnership, Laxman, on 66, fell to a near-perfect delivery from Hilfenhaus, who finished with 5 for 106. The ball angled in and then nipped away to beat the outside edge of Laxman's bat, clipping the edge of the top of off stump, and the batsman could scarcely believe his fate, confident as he appeared that he had covered his wicket.

From there, the wickets fell steadily. MS Dhoni (2) chipped a return catch to Hilfenhaus, who seemed to think it was a bump ball. But the umpire's decision to have the third official check on the shot revealed it had lobbed cleanly back to Hilfenhaus without touching the ground, surprising some of the Australians.

Virat Kohli was lbw to James Pattinson for 9, a fraction unlucky as the ball kept low, but there was no question over the decision. Peter Siddle joined in by removing Zaheer Khan, who had made an entertaining 35 when he slashed hard at a delivery outside off and was taken by Shaun Marsh running back from extra cover.

Briefly, Ishant Sharma and Ashwin staved off the Australians with a 42-run stand, but Ishant (11) was lbw to the offspin of Nathan Lyon. That was the only breakthrough of the match for Lyon, who also collected just one in Melbourne and has not removed a top-six batsman since the first Test of the summer, against New Zealand at the Gabba. Though usually loath to change a winning side, Australia might consider replacing him with Ryan Harris at the WACA.

There are far more questions for India. For a while it looked like they might take the match into the fifth day as they worked through the first session for the loss of only one wicket, that of Gautam Gambhir. He missed the chance for his first Test century in nearly two years when, on 83, he stood on the crease and reached his bat a long way forward to the bowling of Siddle, who found a leading edge that was snapped up by David Warner at point.

Tendulkar and Laxman continued to fight. Laxman played some of his trademark wristy flicks through the leg side, against the fast men and also the offspin of Lyon, and Tendulkar showed off some wonderful cover-drives early in the morning. Shortly before the lunch break, Tendulkar upper-cut a frustrated Pattinson over the sole slip for another boundary.

But it was all a big tease for the Indian fans. In a match where three Australians made tons, including one triple-hundred, India needed more than a handful of pretty half-centuries. There are questions over their batting and their bowling as the Perth Test approaches. They have a week to sort out their problems. © ESPN EMEA Ltd.

Mumbai make semis on first-innings lead

Madhya Pradesh 192 (Birla 63, Kulkarni 5-74) and 474 for 3 dec (M Mishra 174*, Bundela 101*) drew with Mumbai 434 (K Pawar 161, Chavan 102*, Sudhindra 5-96) and 113 for 1 (Pawar 52*, Waghela 51*)

Mumbai eased into another Ranji Trophy semi-final on the basis of a massive first-innings lead after their quarter-final against Madhya Pradesh ended in a draw on the fourth day in Indore.

On the final day, Mohnish Mishra led a dominating batting performance from MP and, with his captain Devendra Bundela, smashed the friendly Mumbai attack for 224 runs in just over a session. MP declared on 474 for 3 but Mumbai, with the security of first-innings points, were never going to go for the target of 233 in a minimum of 49 overs. The match ended at the start of the mandatory overs, by which time Kaustubh Pawar and Praful Waghela had scored fifties to lead Mumbai to 113 for 1.

The only source of interest at the start of the final day was whether MP would go for quick runs and set a target for Mumbai. They did not disappoint. Mishra and Bundela plundered at will on the flat pitch and Wasim Jaffer had nine fielders on the boundary for the major part of the first session. The batsmen still kept hitting the odd boundary, and Mishra smashed five sixes as well. Some of them were flat and clean strikes against the medium-pacers that cleared long-on.

With Dhawal Kulkarni resting ahead of the semi-final against Tamil Nadu because of a shin niggle, the Mumbai spinners did the bulk of the bowling. Ankeet Chavan bowled 40 overs for a return of 1 for 171. Mumbai were not thinking about taking wickets; their only consideration was to bat for as few overs as possible. MP helped them by batting on for a few more overs after lunch so that Bundela could get to his century. When the declaration finally came, Mishra was unbeaten on 174.

Pawar, who had rescued Mumbai in the first innings with a defiant 161, punched powerfully off the back foot for boundaries to sign off with a half-century in the second. The pitch looked good to last another four days; it was their indecisive batting on the first morning, when the surface was at its freshest, that ended MP's tournament. © ESPN EMEA Ltd.

India facing ordeal after Clarke's triple-century

ndia 191 and 2 for 114 (Gambhir 68*, Tendulkar 8*) trail Australia 4 for 659 dec (Clarke 329*, Hussey 150*, Ponting 134, Zaheer 3-122) by 354 runs

Michael Clarke celebrates his triple-hundred © Getty Images

Matthew Hayden, Mark Taylor, Don Bradman, Michael Clarke. That is the list of the men with the highest Test scores for Australia after a day on which Clarke not only wrote himself into the record books but also declared early enough to give his side a strong chance to push for victory over India. Clarke ended Australia's innings with his own score on 329, choosing neither to seek the glory of chasing down Brian Lara's world-record 400, nor even Taylor's iconic 334, the best score by an Australian Test captain.

Instead, he chose drinks in the middle session - the halfway point of the game - to declare Australia's innings closed at 4 for 659. His partner, Michael Hussey, had just reached 150. His thinking as he and Hussey walked off to a standing ovation from the SCG crowd was clear: on a good pitch, Australia would need time to bowl India out, especially with the chance of rain on the fourth day. Personal milestones meant nothing. The team goal was all that mattered.

By the close of play, Australia had two of the ten wickets they wanted. Virender Sehwag had gone in the fourth over of the innings. He flashed hard at a wide ball from Ben Hilfenhaus and was brilliantly snapped up at point by David Warner, whose split-second leap up and to his left allowed him to clasp his hands around the ball and remove India's quickest scorer for 4.

Hilfenhaus also accounted for Rahul Dravid, who was bowled for the third time in the series. On 29, Dravid moved his front foot across in line with off stump but left enough of a gap for the bowler to nip a ball in between bat and pad. The Wall is in desperate need of some mortar, but don't expect the former bricklayer Hilfenhaus to supply it.

At stumps, India were 2 for 114, still trailing by 354, and the Australians needed to find a way through the defences of Sachin Tendulkar, who was on 8. Unexpectedly, given his struggles in the first three innings of the series, it was Gautam Gambhir who was giving them the most trouble. He had reached 68 and was playing positively, having struck nine boundaries.

Already he had his highest Test score in more than a year. However, Gambhir had been given a life on 66 when James Pattinson found his outside edge in the dying stages of the day. Brad Haddin dived to his left and for the second time in the series moved too far; the ball sailed between his arms while his gloves kept moving further towards first slip.

The Australians knew it could be a costly let-off, for runs had flowed easily for Clarke and Hussey on the third day. In three hours of cricket, they added 177 for the loss of no wickets. In fact, from 4.43pm on the opening day of the match until 2.10pm on the third day, Australia had put on 622 runs for the loss of just one wicket, that of Ricky Ponting, who fell for 134 midway through the second afternoon.

And while Hussey finished with 150 not out, the third day was all about Clarke. He not only became the sixth man to score a Test triple-century for Australia, his innings was also the best by an Australian captain in a home Test, surpassing Bradman's 270 at the MCG in 1937. It also broke Tip Foster's 108-year-old record for the highest score in an SCG Test; his 287 on debut was passed when Clarke drove a boundary through extra cover.

That was a record that could not be overstated, especially in the SCG's 100th Test. Over the years, 3747 times batsmen have walked out on to the Sydney Cricket Ground to commence a Test innings. In all of those performances, nobody has ever scored as many as Clarke did over the past three days. He went to lunch on 293, and it took barely ten minutes after the break for his triple-century to arrive.

It came with a flick off his pads for a boundary off Ishant Sharma, an appropriate shot for Clarke had punished anything on his legs throughout the innings. In truth, there was hardly a region of the ground in which Clarke didn't score freely: he drove through off and down the ground, cut, pulled and glanced with ease. He was slow out of the blocks on the third morning, ensuring he got himself set again, but never did his innings stagnate.

He was helped by the presence of Hussey, who became the third centurion in Australia's innings. In a 334-run partnership with Clarke, Hussey kept the scoreboard ticking over at a reasonable rate. He brought up his 16th Test hundred with a single tickled towards third man off Sehwag's offspin shortly before lunch, and he pumped his fists with delight.

Although it was Hussey's fifth Test century since the start of the Ashes last summer, he had also fallen for three golden ducks during his past nine innings. At no did India seriously look like breaking the partnership, although R Ashwin bowled an impressive, searching spell in the opening session.

The action in the middle became so predictable that in the ABC radio commentary box Harsha Bhogle and Kerry O'Keeffe entertained listeners by challenging each other to eat the world's hottest chilli. Meanwhile, in the Channel Nine box, Ian Healy quizzed Bill Lawry on pigeon diseases.

But all eyes were fixed on Clarke as he reached his triple-century, and when he declared less than an hour later. It was a captain's innings in every way, just as he delivered in Cape Town against South Africa in November. Australia lost that Test. Clarke made sure they won't lose this one. © ESPN EMEA Ltd.

Ponting's ton, Clarke's double demoralise India

Australia 4 for 482 (Clarke 251*, Ponting 134, Hussey 55*) lead India 191 by 291 runs

Michael Clarke scored all around the wicket during his maiden Test double-century © Getty Images

Michael Clarke and Ricky Ponting have prior form in shattering Indian spirits at the SCG. Four years ago, they conspired to steal victory during a mad quarter hour late on the fifth day, when Clarke was handed the ball by the captain Ponting and took three wickets in an over. This year, they tortured India more slowly, with a partnership that lasted the best part of six hours and all but ensured Australia could not lose the Test.

Of course, since Kolkata in 2001, nothing has ever been truly certain in Tests between these two countries. But the drought-breaking century from Ponting - his first in nearly two years - and Clarke's maiden Test double-hundred steered Australia into the kind of position from which it would take a Kolkata-like comeback to rescue India. They would need something very, very special.

The Sydney crowd had already witnessed the exceptional, from Clarke and Ponting. By stumps, Clarke was unbeaten on 251, having batted through the day, and it was not out of the question that he could become the first man to score a Test triple-century at the SCG. Michael Hussey had chipped in with 55 not out and Australia's lead had ballooned to 291, with six wickets in hand.

Clarke's innings was mature and mesmerising, but it was Ponting's hundred that had really brought the crowd to life. Ponting had been starved of a Test century in his past 33 innings, and for the first time since the early days of his career had faced pressure to justify his place in the side. At no stage during his slump did he give up. It was somehow appropriate for a man who had fought so hard over the past few months that he was dirty and dishevelled when his hundred arrived.

The milestone came via a quick single, a poorly-judged one too, for a direct hit from Zaheer Khan at mid-on would have had Ponting run out for 99. He dived to make the crease and climbed up off the ground - the most fitting metaphor imaginable - with helmet askew and dirt all down his shirt and trousers. It was a sight that brought smiles from Clarke and even the umpire Ian Gould, and importantly from Ponting himself.

Amid all the debate over his form and his position in the side in recent months, Ponting had maintained that he was batting well. In this innings, he was. There were several classic Ponting pulls and his flicks through the leg side were a feature of his game. To some degree, he eschewed the typical Ponting back-foot drives through the off side, though that in part came down to the lines India bowled.

It was not until the second new ball arrived that Ponting departed, caught at point for 134 when he drove Ishant Sharma. Ponting walked off to a standing ovation, having joined his catcher, Sachin Tendulkar, and Jacques Kallis as the only men to have scored 40 Test centuries. His 288-run stand with Clarke, the highest fourth-wicket partnership ever compiled against India in Test cricket, had demoralised the visitors.

More was to come from Clarke, who had brought up his 18th Test century, and his fourth in his past 11 innings, with a perfectly placed cover-drive for four in the last over before lunch. His double-century arrived from his 284th delivery with a flick through square leg off Zaheer, and it brought a kiss of the helmet and a tear to the eye of Clarke, who is in his first home summer as Australia's full-time captain.

Clarke scored his runs all around the ground, with cover-drives, off-drives, clips off the pads, pulls, cuts, lofts over the infield against spin - perhaps the only thing he didn't attempt was a reverse-sweep. He was seeing the ball so well that he was able to walk across his stumps and down the pitch to turn good balls from the fast men into opportunities to score through the leg side. By stumps, he had the best score by an Australia batsman in an SCG Test, and needed 37 more to beat Tip Foster's record for all-comers.

To cap it all off for Australia, Hussey joined in late in the day with some quick runs, including two consecutive fours followed by a six off R Ashwin. It was an immensely disheartening day for India, who could manage only one wicket throughout the day after 13 had fallen on the opening day. There were no-balls from the part-time offspinner Virender Sehwag, strange field placements from MS Dhoni and a general lack of spark, which was to be expected by the end of a long, hot day in the field.

In the first couple of overs of the morning, Dhoni had a man back at deep square leg when he needed to be on the attack, and later he removed all of his slips while Umesh Yadav was bowling, seemingly a concession that all he could do was try to slow the run scoring of Ponting and Clarke rather than try to get them out.

He can be rest assured that Clarke won't be as defensive in the field when he gets his chance. Unfortunately for Dhoni, that might be a while off yet. © ESPN EMEA Ltd.