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PTI
Adelaide, December 12
David Warner followed up his first innings hundred with a half-century in the second, giving Australia command of proceedings on day four of the first cricket Test against India here on Friday.
Australia reached 139/1 in 38 overs at tea.
At the Adelaide Oval, the left-handed opener was batting on 69 off 105 balls. He hit seven fours and a six, putting on 101 runs with Shane Watson (33*, 83 balls, 4 fours, 1 six) as the hosts’ lead reached 212 runs.
Warner and Chris Rogers resumed after lunch, looking to frustrate the Indians further. But that didn’t work out for long as Karn Sharma (1-50) got an early breakthrough in the session, dismissing Rogers in only the third over. The opener scored 21 runs off 45 balls with two fours.
The leg-spinner had been introduced early in the sixth over and India probably felt the need of a second spinner on this deteriorating pitch as Murali Vijay (0-27) too bowled six overs. Surprisingly enough Mohammad Shami (0-7) didn’t bowl at all in this post-lunch session after the three overs bowled before the break.
Clearly the Indian team’s plan was to use medium pace from only one end and to this effect Ishant Sharma (0-31) toiled hard. But this combination of Karn-Ishant-Vijay couldn’t bring about the desired effect and even Rohit Sharma (0-3) was introduced later on in the session. Meanwhile, Warner-Watson motored along nicely to bring up the 50-run mark in the 16th over, with the former completing 1000 Test runs in the 2014 calendar year.
Their partnership reached the 50-run mark in the 24th over, with Warner bringing up his 14th Test fifty in the next over.
He reached there in 63 balls, with 6 fours and 1 six, his stay at the crease threatening India’s position in the match. The 100-run mark then came up in the 27th over as everyone began to wonder whatever happened to Varun Aaron (0-16) who was yet to bowl.
The answer came in the 32nd over when he first came on to bowl in this second Australian innings. He bowled four eventful overs, and was nearly successful in his second one – the 34th of the innings – when he bowled Warner with the batsman on 66 at that time. But the umpire ruled it a no-ball giving a second chance to the opener. -PTI
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