By IANS
Canberra : Ishant Sharma struck in quick succession by picking up three wickets for the Indians while Chris Rogers staked his claim for the openers slot for the Perth Test with a half century for the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Invitational XI on the second day of the three-day practice match at the Manuka Oval here Friday.
At stumps, ACT were 292 for eight and were trailing by 33 runs in reply to the Indians’ first innings score of 325 for nine declared. Chris Rogers with his 60 has now emerged as the potential replacement for the injured Matthew Hayden, whose ability to play the Perth Test is subject to a fitness test this weekend.
But it was middle-order batsman John Rogers who stole the limelight with a 98 and helped his team put up a brave front after Sharma removed the top three batsmen in quick succession and left the hosts reeling at 83 for three.
Chris was edgy at the start but later moved confidently to his half-century. He was dismissed when he tried a sweep off Harbhajan Singh and was trapped leg before the wicket.
John led the resurrection act with good attacking and defensive strokes. He was unlucky not to get a century when he spooned a catch to Vikram Raj Vir Singh, at third man off Rudra Pratap Singh.
Sharma and Irfan Pathan were impressive in their spell on the batting friendly Manuka Oval pitch. Sharma extracted movement off the pitch and Pathan, who is yet to play a Test in this series, impressed with his speed and swing.