Michael Clarke hit a gritty century to steer Australia to safety on the fourth day of the third Test against a sloppy India yesterday.
Clarke, 27, led Australia’s commendable fightback with a 112-run knock that spanned six hours and took the tourists to a first innings score of 577 all out, just 36 adrift of India’s 613-7 declared.
The visitors then reduced India to 43-2 with Brett Lee accounting for Virender Sehwag (12) and Stuart Clark dismissing night watchman Ishant Sharma for 1.
PHOTO: AFP
India’s double-centurion Gautam Gambhir was on 21 and Rahul Dravid was on 5 at the close.
With just four sessions of play remaining and the wicket not showing much sign of deterioration, a draw looks the only likely result.
India lead the four-match Test series 1-0 after winning the second Test in Mohali by 320 runs.
The platform for Australia’s fightback was laid by their top-order batsmen, each of whom made handy contributions before Clarke came to the party with his eighth Test century.
The Aussie vice-captain shared a 73-run stand with Shane Watson (36) and added 103 for the seventh wicket with Cameron White (44), while surviving three dropped chances by the butter-fingered Indians.
He was dropped on 21, 90 and 94, underlining India’s indifferent effort in the field and dashing their hopes of forcing a series-clinching win.
The only bright spot for the hosts was the maiden five-wicket haul by part-time off-spinner Sehwag, who finished with fine figures of 5-104.
But the highlight of the day was Clarke’s patient 253-ball knock, containing six fours and a six.
He was dropped twice in his 90s with Venkatsai Laxman — celebrating his 34th birthday — failing to cup a sitter off Sehwag and Amit Mishra (2-144) grassing another in the bowler’s next over.
Clarke, who scored 151 on his Test debut against India in Bangalore in 2004, was earlier spilled on 21 by Sharma, who failed to latch on to a simple chance at mid-on off Mishra.
He was finally dismissed by Mishra, who had him caught by Zaheer Khan at long-off.
Sehwag bowled White to bag his first Test five-wicket haul. White hit five fours and a six off leg-spinner Anil Kumble in his cameo 95-ball effort.
Kumble (1-94) returned to bowl in the 15th over a day after needing 11 stitches for a deep cut he sustained on his left little finger on Friday.
Also See: Duminy stars with bat and ball as the Proteas beat Kenya
Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw on Friday joined their Los Angeles Dodgers teammates in sticking their fists out to show off their glittering World Series rings at a ceremony. “There’s just a lot of excitement, probably more than I can ever recall with the Dodger fan base and our players,” manager Dave Roberts said before Los Angeles rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 8-5 in 10 innings. “What a way to cap off the first two days of celebrations,” Roberts said afterward. “By far the best opening week I’ve ever experienced. I just couldn’t have scripted it any better.” A choir in the
The famously raucous Hong Kong Sevens are to start today in a big test for a shiny new stadium at the heart of a major US$3.85 billion sports park in the territory. Officials are keeping their fingers crossed that the premier event in Hong Kong’s sporting and social calendar goes off without a hitch at the 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium. They hope to entice major European soccer teams to visit in the next few months, with reports in December last year saying that Liverpool were in talks about a pre-season tour. Coldplay are to perform there next month, all part of Hong Kong’s
Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman on Thursday smashed home runs to give the reigning World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-4 victory over Detroit on the MLB’s opening day in the US. The Dodgers, who won two season-opening games in Tokyo last week, raised their championship banner on a day when 28 clubs launched the season in the US. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shuffled his batting lineup with all four leadoff hitters finally healthy as Ohtani was followed by Mookie Betts, then Hernandez and Freddie Freeman in the cleanup spot, switching places with Hernandez. “There’s a Teoscar tax to
Marcus Rashford’s first goals for Aston Villa on Sunday inspired a 3-0 win against Preston North End that sent his side into the FA Cup semi-finals for the first time in 10 years. Rashford struck twice in the second half at Deepdale to end Preston’s stubborn resistance before Jacob Ramsey wrapped up Villa’s long-awaited return to the last four. Villa are to face Crystal Palace — 3-0 winners at Fulham on Saturday — in the semi-finals at Wembley Stadium in London. Revitalized since joining Villa on loan from Manchester United during the January transfer window, Rashford is beginning to show the form that