Pattinson halts Tendulkar’s century quest
SYDNEY: Fast bowler James Pattinson took four wickets, including that of Sachin Tendulkar, as Australia bundled India out for 191 after tea on the opening day of the second Test today.
As in their 122-run first Test victory in Melbourne last week, Australia had pace bowlers Pattinson, Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus to thank for constricting the world class Indian batting line-up.
Siddle ended the Indian innings with his 100th Test wicket, his third of the match, after Hilfenhaus had mopped up most of the tail.
But it was 21-year-old Pattin- son who again caught the eye in just his fourth Test.
Bowling with genuine pace, Pattinson took just three balls of the morning to take the wicket of Gautam Gambhir before adding those of the other opener, Virender Sehwag, and dangermen VVS Laxman and Tendulkar.
Tendulkar came out to a huge ovation and had looked by far the most comfortable Indian batsman before he edged a Pattinson delivery onto his stumps for 41, his quest for a 100th international century destined to continue.
India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, looking for a vic- tory to even up the four-match series, had earlier won the toss and elected to bat on a hot, sunny morning at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
It was, perhaps, a good toss to lose as Pattinson, Siddle and Hilfenhaus immediately got some movement out of a pitch with a slight green tinge to it.
Gambhir’s jab at a Pattinson delivery left Michael Clarke with a simple catch at slip, piling more pressure on the opener after a poor run of form.
Rahul Dravid (five), a jittery-looking Sehwag (30) as well as VVS Laxman (two) were quickly dispatched after the lefthander back to the pavilion, to leave the tourists languishing on 59-4.
Virat Kohli and Tendulkar combined to ease the crisis around the lunch break before they were separated by a peach of a delivery from Siddle, which Kohli edged to Brad Haddin behind the stumps for 23.
Tendulkar, whose average at the SCG was a shade over an astonishing 221 runs per innings, continued to pick his shots and some of them were sumptuous.
Two cut shots over the cordon for four in particular gave a big crowd their money’s worth.
Back came the irrepressible Pattinson, however, to take the 38-year-old’s wicket and leave India on 124-6.
Dhoni and Ravi Ashwin put on 54 for the seventh wicket before Hilfenhaus finally got reward for his efforts with the wickets of Ashwin (20) and Zaheer Khan (0) on successive balls.
After missing out on the hattrick after the tea break, the dependable quick soon had Ishant Sharma out for a duck before Siddle performed the coup de grace by dispensing with Umesh Yadav for nought to leave skipper Dhoni unbeaten on 57. – Reuters