Mishra floors Aussies, puts India in command

Not for nothing do Australia look at India as their most serious opposition in the Test arena. Having let the hosts wiggle off the hook in the first Test, Ricky Ponting’s men found themselves under the hammer at the close on Day III of the second Test at the PCA Stadium here, having conceded a thumping 201-run first innings lead and thereafter unable to stop the Indians from coasting to 100 for no loss in the second innings.

In between, little Haryana leg-spinner Amit Mishra helped skittle Australia out for 268, one run short of averting the follow-on in reply to India’s healthy 469 with a five-wicket haul on debut and it is already evident that this Australian side has travelled here badly under-equipped in terms of personnel needed to make a winning difference on Indian pitches.

Already heavily in arrears, the visitors were further undone by a combination of good batsmanship from openers Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir who have put together an unbeaten 100 runs to further widen the gap. Already statistically India are in an impregnable position for no team has scored over 276 in the fourth innings of a Mohali Test.

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