By IANS
Melbourne : Phil Jaques and Matthew Hayden overcame some anxious moments to give Australia a splendid start to the Boxing Day Test, returning for lunch without being separated at 111 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) here Wednesday.
At break, Jaques was on 57 and Hayden 49 after India were asked to field by Ricky Ponting though the conventional wisdom would have told him to bowl first to make use of the early life in the drop-in pitch.
The Australians knew the first session would be difficult to negotiate and it was as new ball bowlers Zaheer Khan and Rudra Pratap Singh bowled a probing length though the line could have been slightly better to go with the early movement.
It was tough for the two fast bowlers with no third pacer to assist them and India chose to go in with both their world-class spinners into the Test. Sourav Ganguly, who is playing his 100th Test here, bowled three overs as the change bowler. Yet, the Australians could not take off till the fourth over as Zaheer and Rudra Pratap made light of their prolonged rest through injuries and the lack of a warm-up game before the Test.
Zaheer, in particular, got his outswing going to trouble Jaques and the opener was lucky to survive some play and miss attempts. Jaques was lucky to have got away with a couple of screaming LBW shouts.
Hayden was a lot more aggressive to start with though he, too, was lucky to edge streaking through the vacant third slip position. Despite the teething troubles, the two openers maintained a steady run rate and Jaques got to his 50 off 80 balls sweeping Harbhajan who was a little circumspect and strayed down the leg.
As Hayden dug in, the Indians searched desperately for a wicket and it was tough session. The veteran opener struck only four fours as against Jaques seven.
Kumble and Harbhajan had to bowl much earlier than they would have anticipated and they will have an uphill task as the day wears on with murky conditions giving way to sunny bright conditions.
India, as expected, got Yuvraj Singh into the side, leaving out Virender Sehwag and pitchforking Rahul Dravid into the opening slot.
Australia, too, predictably brought in left-arm spinner Brad Hogg for his fifth Test, leaving out Shaunt Tait, thus retaining the left-arm Mitchell Johnson as the third fast bowler.