MELBOURNE, DEC 27: At 4.30 in the evening, the scenario at the Melbourne Cricket Ground was one of disappointment and gloom as play, for the second day in succession, was truncated by the weather conditions, resulting in only 43 overs being bowled. At the end of the second day's play, full of an entertaining batting display, drama and action for non-cricketing reasons, the Australians had broken the shackles imposed by the Indians and had moved to 332 for five. The future of the Test match is now left with two possibilities: either a draw or an Indian defeat.The Indians began the day bowling too short for their own comfort. Javagal Srinath was not the bowler one had seen yesterday, Ajit Agarkar was more keen in bowling fast and Venkatesh Prasad, despite the two wickets he got, was more involved in getting into a verbal tangle with Michael Slater and was finally punished for his war-cry after dismissing the batsman. There was a time in the Test match when the Indians had fought their way back into thematch. That was at a time when Slater looked destined to make a century and Steve Waugh was striking the ball with tremendous timing.Prasad, in the thick of the action today, dug one short and Slater, instead of finding the pickets, picked Srinath at backward square-leg. The moment the catch was completed, Prasad behaved as if he had fulfilled a life-time ambition, pumping his fists, and screaming with joy. Slater, had fallen in the nineties for the eighth time. But it was his poise and control yesterday, when batting was at the most difficult, in seeing Australia ward off a potential crisis.Inspired by this conquest, Prasad forced Waugh into cutting at an away going delivery and Australia, from the comforts of 192-3 were now 197 for five. Ten runs later, more drama followed. Adam Gilchrist, who later tore into the Indian attack, drove Anil Kumble back. The ball was in the air for a while and Kumble may have got the ball inside his fingers before it hit the ground. Umpire Steve Davis did not deem itnecessary to consult square-leg umpire David Shepherd and called for the third umpire's intervention.The only angle available to the umpire was, probably, not conclusive enough for him to press the red button. After that followed a commanding display by Gilchrist. Ricky Ponting played an able supporting role and the Indian attack became ragged and lost control over the match. When the massive downpour brought a premature end to the day's play only 43 overs and three hours and 15 minutes play was possible the Australians had made 194 runs at an average of over four runs per over for the day. Under the circumstances, rain must have come as a great relief for the visiting side.ScoreboardAustralia (1st innings; overnight 138-3)G Blewett b Srinath (8b, 10m) 2(played on a short ball)M Slater c Srinath b V Prasad (179b, 269m, 10x4) 91(hooking a short ball)J Langer lbw Srinath (28b, 37m, 1x4) 8(beaten by incoming movement)M Waugh lbw Agarkar (110b, 120m, 1x4)41(beaten by a sharp incutter)S Waugh c M Prasad b V Prasad ( 68b,108m, 3x4) 32(attempting to cut a moving ball)R Ponting batting (70b, 144m, 5x4) 59A Gilchrist batting (107b, 135m, 12x4) 77Extras (1b, 8lb, 1w, 12nb) 22Total: (for 5 wkt in 414 minutes, 93 overs) 332Fall of wickets: 1-4 (Blewett), 2-28 (Langer), 3-123 (M Waugh), 4-192 Slater), 5-197 (S Waugh)Bowling: Srinath 22-4-101-2, Agarkar 22-6-64-1, V Prasad 24-6-88-2, Ganguly 2-0-10-0, Kumble 23-3-60-0
