By IANS
Perth : India were in a great position to win the third Test here as they dismissed both Australian openers after setting the hosts a 413-run target for their record 17th Test victory on the trot at the Western Australia Cricket Association Ground here Friday.
Only one team has successfully chased more than 413 runs and that was the West Indies, which beat Australia making 418 for seven at St. John’s, Antigua, in 2003.
At stumps on the third day, Australia were 65 for two and still need 348 runs in the next two days. Skipper Ricky Ponting (24, 27 balls, 2x4s) and Mike Hussey (5) were at the crease.
India could muster 294 in their second innings thanks mainly to V.V.S. Laxman, who with a meticulous 79 (156 balls, 8x4s) rescued them yet again. He was helped in large measures by his three purposeful partnerships, with night-watchamn Irfan Pathan (who scored a responsible 46 – 64 balls, 6x4s), Mahendra Singh Dhoni(38, 78 balls, 2x4s, 2x6s), and tail-ender Rudra Pratap Singh 30 (59 balls, 3x4s, 1×6). Virender Sehwag (43, 61 balls, 7x4s) played his part with a strokeful knock.
India made 330 in the first innings and bowled Australia out for 212 to take a 118-run lead.
When Australia went in to bat a second time, Pathan returned with the new ball to dismiss both openers. The Baroda bowler forced debutant Chris Rogers to edge to wicket-keeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni with one that moved away.
Pathan should have dismissed Phil Jaques, at five, in the same over but Sourav Ganguly at point could not fasten on to a sharp overhead catch. However, the left-hander failed to prosper as he steered Pathan into the hands of Wasim Jaffer at point.
Potning and Hussey saw off the day without further alarms, though they survived a couple of confident LBW shouts.
Earlier, India lost four wickets — Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid (3, 5 balls), Sachin Tendulkar (13, 25 balls, 2x4s) and Sourav Ganguly (0) — while scoring 106 in the morning session after resuming at their overnight 52 for one.
Speedsters Stuart Clark and Brett Lee snared two key wickets in six balls to reduce India to 82 for three from 79 for one. Sehwag hit Clark for two boundaries in successive overs and then got a life at 43 when Hussey juggled with the ball and dropped it at gully off Lee. But Lee bowled him off his pads in his next over.
Dravid, trying to play a cover drive off a wide Lee ball, only managed to snick it to wicket keeper Adam Gilchrist. Tendulkar fell leg before to Lee as he tried to play the ball to the on side while Ganguly went for a duck, caught by Clarke at first slip off Mitchell Johnson as India slumped to 125 for five.
In the post lunch session, India batted slowly as only 87 runs were scored, Pathan, Dhoni and Anil Kumble to be 245 for eight at tea. Laxman was batting on a fine 57 — his 31st half-century — and R. P. Singh on seven.
Pathan, who played a mature, delightful knock, was finally dismissed soon after lunch as he pushed at a Clark delivery to be caught at slip by Ponting. He and Laxman added 35 for the sixth wicket.
Dhoni and Laxman, then, forged a fruitful seventh-wicket association as they added 75 off 27.4 overs, though slowly.
Then, part-timer Andrew Symonds snared Dhoni and Kumble (0) in the one over to jolt India. Gilchrist took a diving catch to his left as Dhoni tried to play a scoop shot over the wicket-keeper. Kumble lasted four balls before Michael Clarke took the catch at first slip as Symonds exulted.
Laxman, playing delectable wristy shots, and Singh raised 51 for the ninth wicket. Singh, playing his 10th Test, played a key role in seeing India gain a 400-plus target with his a career-best knock.
Scoreboard
Third Test, Day 3, India vs. Australia, Western Australian Cricket Association Ground, Perth (stumps)
India (1st innings): 330
Australia (1st innings): 212
India (2nd innings, overnight 52/1):
Wasim Jaffer c Hussey b Clark 11
Virender Sehwag b Clark 43
Irfan Pathan c Ponting b Clark 46
Rahul Dravid c Gilchrist b Lee 3
Sachin Tendulkar lbw b Lee 13
Sourav Ganguly c Clarke b Johnson 0
V.V.S. Laxman c Gilchrist b Lee 79
Mahendra Singh Dhoni c Gilchrist b Symonds 38
Anil Kumble c Clarke b Symonds 0
Rudra Pratap Singh c Gilchrist b Clark 30
Ishant Sharma not out 4
Extras: (lb 14, w 5, nb 8) 27
Total: (all out in 80.4 overs) 294
Fall of wicket: 1-45 (Jaffer, 9.3 overs), 2-79 (Sehwag, 17.3), 3-82 (Dravid, 18.2), 4-116 (Tendulkar, 24.4), 5-125 (Ganguly, 25.5), 6-160 (Pathan, 34.3), 7-235 (Dhoni, 62.1), 8-235 (Kumble, 62.5), 9-286 (Singh, 79.5)
Bowling:
Brett Lee 20.4 4 54 3 (4nb, 1w)
Mitchell Johnson 10 0 58 1
Stuart Clark 19 4 61 4 (2w)
Shaun Tait 8 0 33 0 (4nb, 2w)
Michael Clarke 13 2 38 0
Andrew Symonds 10 2 36 2
Australia (2nd innings):
Chris Rogers c Dhoni b Pathan 15
Phil Jaques c Jaffer b Pathan 16
Ricky Ponting batting 24
Mike Hussey batting 5
Extras: (lb 3, w 1, nb 1) 5
Total: (for 2 wickets in 15 overs) 65
Fall of wickets: 1-21 (Rogers, 5.1 overs), 2-43 (Jaques, 9.4)
Bowling:
Rudra Pratap Singh 5 1 24 0 (1w)
Irfan Pathan 6 1 22 2
Ishant Sharma 3 0 10 0 (1nb)
Anil Kumble 1 0 6 0
Toss: India
Umpires: Billy Bowden (New Zealand) and Asad Rauf (Pakistan)
Match Referee: Mike Procter (South Africa)