Aussies fight back with century from Symonds and Hogg
January 2, 2008 - 6:36PM
Just when India looked to have at least slowed down Australia's runaway freight train, muscle man Andrew Symonds and a more unlikely conductor in leg-spinner Brad Hogg ensured the momentum swung back towards the home side by stumps on day one at the SCG today.
After India's left-arm paceman RP Singh had blitzed Australia's top and middle orders with four wickets, Symonds and Hogg steadied to ship to leave the home side, in their quest for a record 16 consecutive victories, relatively well placed at 7-376.
Symonds will resume tomorrow not out on 137 with Brett Lee providing solid support, unbeaten on 31.
It could have been so different. RP Singh and, to a lesser extent, off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, bowled beautifully at times to leave the Australians at one stage 6 for 134.
RP Singh took the wickets of openers Phil Jaques (0) and Matthew Hayden (13) and later Mike Hussey (41) and Adam Gilchrist (7) to give the might of Australia a significant fright.
Sachin Tendulkar, whose build-up to the second Test of the series has been marred by a skin allergy, took three catches from first slip off RP Singh's bowling.
But the seventh-wicket partnership of 173, along with some odd umpiring, left the tourists with a day of some success but still the frustration of a missed opportunity.
Hogg managed more than double his previous highest Test score, eventually falling to Anil Kumble for 79.
At one stage, Hogg was outscoring his bullish colleague, however Symonds started to stretch out his arms, and in the process, the field, to power his way to his second Test century.
On 95, Symonds launched a drive over the head of Harbajhan Singh only for the ball to plop a metre or so inside the rope. No matter, next ball, he calmly flicked a drive to the right of the same bowler to grab the single.
Those two balls summed up Symonds - braun but also more brain than he is given credit for.
His century was superbly crafted. Slow at the start, he allowed Hogg to take centre stage while skipper Kumble sent his fielders scurrying towards the boundaries whenever Symonds took guard.
Then he took charge, blasting the second fifty of his second century in just 54 balls.
In reality, Symonds should only have reached 30, but he was given a reprieve when umpire Steve Bucknor ruled not out on a clear caught behind off Ishant Sharma, who had replaced the injured Zaheer Khan in the Indian line-up.
Replays confirmed Symonds had feathered an edge through to wicketkeeper Mahendra Dhoni, and while the bowler's reaction may result in sanction by authorities he was certainly entitled to some disbelief at what would become the day's turning point.
Earlier, Indian paceman RP Singh took four wickets to send Australia crashing to 6-214 at tea on the first day of the second Test at the SCG.
All-rounder Andrew Symonds (39 not out) and spinner Brad Hogg (48 not out) have shared an entertaining partnership of 80 runs in 74 minutes after Australia had been six for 134.
From cruising in relative comfort, the Australian car hit the wall in a spectacular bingle at the Sydney Cricket Ground after lunch, losing three wickets in 13 balls for only two runs.
If that wasn't bad enough Adam Gilchrist was out nine runs later, with doctors searching for a pulse in the Australian first innings with the score 6-134.
Returning from the lunch break with captain Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey in apparently secure occupation of the crease, the transformation brought at the hands of RP Singh and Harbhajan Singh was a stunning as it was sudden and unexpected.
Ponting had brought up his half century with a cracking pull shot and a square cut _ and then added a second pulled boundary from the same over to leap to 55.
But no further. The captain had been given a life of sorts on 17 when umpire Mark Benson adjudged him not out to an apparent edge off the bowling of Sourav Ganguly to wicketkeeper Mahendra Dhoni.
Perhaps the umpire had a look at the replay during the lunch break because, when Ponting edged the ball on to his pads, Harbajan was the beneficiary of a second error, with Ponting given out leg before wicket.
That dismissal brought Michael Clarke to the wicket and he had only one sighter from Harbhajan before Hussey was out to the first ball of RP Singh's next over, leaving Clarke to take guard alone in the centre as the Indian side celebrated in a joyous circle as all waited for Andrew Symonds to adjust the pads and reach the centre.
But the young batsmen had only two more balls from Harbhajan before plopping his leg down the pitch to a gentle off-break and being given out leg before wicket with his bat somewhere above his right shoulder.
Adam Gilchrist was next out, caught by Sachin Tendulkar off the bowling of RP Singh for seven.
A game Australia were expected to dominate was proving a challenging wrestle indeed.
Earlier, Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey steadied the Australian innings after a rocky start to leave honours shared at lunch on the first day of the second Test against India at the SCG today.
India's left-arm opening bowler RP Singh dismissed both opening batsmen cheaply, however Ponting (36) and Hussey (37) combined for a 69-run partnership to leave the Australians 2-95 at the interval.
After the Australians had won the toss and elected to bat, they lost a wicket without a run on the board, with Phil Jaques dismissed on just the 15th ball of the day for his first Test duck after he edged an attempted hook off Singh to keeper Mahendra Dhoni.
Singh struck again not long afterwards, this time forcing an edge off Hayden for 13, with Sachin Tendulkar taking a sharp catch at first slip to leave Australia precariously placed at 2-27.
Ponting survived a close caught behind shout when he was just 17, after attempting a leg glance off the bowling of Sourav Ganguly.
Umpire Mark Benson gave Ponting the benefit of the doubt, however replays suggested there may have been a faint edge.
The Indians had already suffered an early blow, with paceman Zaheer Khan ruled out of the Test with a heel injury. He was replaced by Ishant Sharma.
Australia named an unchanged outfit from the side which defeated the Indians comfortably in the opening Test in Melbourne.
