- Australia's pace attack made early inroads on a lively green WACA wicket to leave India struggling on 73 for four at lunch after a blistering opening morning of the third test on Friday.
Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir were the Indian casualties, leaving VVS Laxman (four not out) and Virat Kohli, who was unbeaten on 10, at the crease and the momentum very much with the hosts.
Australia, 2-0 up in the four-match series, won the toss and chose to bowl with a four-strong pace attack having gambled on dispensing with the services of spinner Nathan Lyon.
Ryan Harris, recalled to the side in place of the injured James Pattinson, was handed the brand new Kookaburra ball in the bright morning sun but it was Ben Hilfenhaus who made the breakthrough.
The big paceman fired an outswinger down to Sehwag, who had yet to score, in the fourth over of the day and the opener was tempted to go for it, got an edge and Ricky Ponting snapped up the catch in the slips.
The morning session was punctuated with loud lbw appeals but Dravid, famously known as The Wall of Indian Cricket, continued his recent trend of being bowled out.
Peter Siddle was the last of the Australian paceman to get a bowl but made an immediate impact by firing a yorker through Dravid's defence, the ball coming off the bat, onto the Indian's boots and hitting the stumps. He had made nine.
It was the fourth time in five innings in the series that Dravid, the second most prolific batsman in test cricket, had been bowled - the fifth if you count the Siddle dismissal that was ruled out for a no ball in the first test in Melbourne.
Tendulkar made a bright start to his 22nd attempt to finally secure his 100th international century, opening his account with three well-struck boundaries.
A double strike in consecutive overs just before the break, however, swung the balance of the match very much to the Australians.
First, a Harris delivery swung back in to trap Tendulkar leg before for 15 before Hilfenhaus got more reward for a fine display when he had Gambhir caught behind to end the opener's stubborn resistance for an 82-ball 31.
Indian also chose to go with four quicks, handing right-armer R Vinay Kumar his test debut in place of spinner Ravi Ashwin in an otherwise unchanged side.
Source:Reuters
