Laxman, Dravid put India on track

Jan 03:  A fine resolute 175-run partnership between VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid for the second wicket set the path for India as the visitors were sitting comfortably on 216 for three at the end of day two in the second test against Australia played at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Thursday.

On one end Laxman was going great guns as he cracked 109 while Dravid adopted a watchful approach and made a perseverant 53 to steer the team from danger early on after losing Wasim Jaffer at the score of 8.

The pair looked threatening and relived the moments of famous Kolkata Test but India lost the grip as they both departed in quick succession. A relatively strong 1 for 183 had quickly changed to a susceptible 3 for 185, with two new batsmen at the crease to negotiate the last half hour.

Both of them had a notably 376-run partnership way back in 2001 at Kolkata as well as a 303-run stand in Adelaide two years later, when India pulled off another surprise win against Australia.

But old warhorses Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly did well enough to deny Aussies any further breakthrough, taking India to the close as they finished the day 257 runs behind Australia 's imposing first-innings total of 463.

The onus lies on the performances of Sachin Tendulkar (nine not out) and Saurav Ganguly (15 not out) as how they build on the Indian innings to get past the massive total set by Auusies.

VVS Laxman finally got India 's batting on this Australian tour off the ground, scoring an enthusiastic and entertaining century, and Rahul Dravid once again battled hard in dull fashion.

The much-required Indian fightback worked for almost two sessions, but it was Australia who dominated the first session by taking their first-innings score to 463 riding on an unbeaten 162 from Andrew Symonds.

Brett Lee castled jittery Jaffer by pushing him firmly onto the back foot after landing a perfect yorker to uproot his off stump.

It could be two down soon as Dravid was caught at slip chasing a widish no-ball from Mitchell Johnson but thanks to some fine judgment by the on-field umpires after having a fairly bad day at the office yesterday.

Dravid found his feet using them positively, both when leaving the ball well alone and driving through the off side. The 50-run partnership came up in only 57 balls, with Dravid contributing just 10 runs and rest of them by Laxman. Laxman raced to his half-century, off just 43 balls, with a remarkable 40 of those runs coming in boundaries.

Laxman struck his fifth test hundred against Australia and completed his hat trick in the same number of appearances at Sydney and demonstrated that why he remains the archenemy of Australian bowlers.

The stylish Hyderabadi scored 18 boundaries, including four in one over off the Australian left-arm steamer Mitchell Johnson. Laxman got an amnesty on 77 when he was dropped by wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist but continued with his natural game and reached his hundred with a boundary off Brad Hogg in 137 balls.

Dravid too brought up his half-century with a four, after four hours, when he drove Johnson to the boundary rope but departed soon after edging out an uppish catch to Matthew Hayden at slip.

Laxman followed Dravid in the next over when he drove Hogg straight to Mike Hussey at short extra cover, leaving Tendulkar and Ganguly to see through the day.

Earlier, Australia added a rapid 96 to their overnight score of 376-6. Andrew Symonds came up with his career-best knock of 162 after the Indian captain Anil Kumble went through the Australian tail to end up with the figures of 4-106. Symonds struck 18 fours and two sixes in his 226-ball essay.

Lee (59) scored his fourth Test half-century adding 117 runs for the eighth wicket with Symonds, while Johnson scored a quickfire 28 and Stuart Clark went for duck.

India 1st innings
W Jaffer b Lee 3
R Dravid c Hayden b Johnson 53
VVS Laxman c Hussey b Hogg 109
SR Tendulkar playing 9
SC Ganguly playing 21

Extras: (b 4, lb 8, w 3, nb 6) 21
Total: 216 (3.48 runs per over) (3 wickets; 62 overs)
To bat: Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni, A Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, RP Singh, I Sharma
Fall of wickets: 1-8, 2-183, 3-185