Johnson stalls Indias surge

Aussie speedster scalps five; Tendulkar,Raina,Dravid miss out on tons as hosts dismissed for 405.

Sachin Tendulkar fell two runs short in a bid to score his first Test century at Mohali,while both Rahul Dravid and Suresh Raina also failed to reach three-figures. The Australian fielders,too,for their part provided an uncharacteristic display in the field,not utilising a number of chances offered by the home team batsmen. Sunday simply proved to be a day of missed opportunities for both teams.

But it will be Mahendra Singh Dhonis team who will be ruing their failure to ascertain their ascendency in the first Test the most. Having set themselves up to easily overhaul Australias first innings total and despite Tendulkar and Raina at their flowing best,India lost their last six wickets for a mere 51 runs to be bowled out for 405 at the PCA Stadium,with Mitchell Johnson finishing up with a five-wicket haul. But though they did end up allowing Australia a lead of 23 runs,the Indian batsmen ensured that the game remained on an even keel at the end of the third days play.

After walking into bat following Ishant Sharmas hour-long vigil as a night-watchman,Tendulkar started off fluently,rotating the strike while also finding the boundary regularly. Dravid on the other hand continued in his typically cautious manner,as the two veterans stitched together a 79-run partnership to lay the foundation yet again for the Indian innings. Not for the umpteenth time,the Karnataka right-hander played his workmanlike role in the team to perfection.

The real entertainment of the day though came after Dravids dismissal for 77,as Raina walked into bat in his third Test. Fresh from having starred in Chennai Super Kings triumph in the Champions League T20,the plucky left-hander still seemed to be in T20 mode,and wasted no time in getting on with his innings. Not surprisingly,Raina was greeted with a bouncer from his Super Kings teammate Doug Bollinger but the youngster survived though in very ungainly fashion.

As Raina began getting his bearings right and started attacking the spinners,Tendulkar was content with taking the backseat and guiding his younger teammate along,as the pair added a crucial stand of 124. The left-hander enjoyed a rather lucky period of play just after tea as wicket-keeper Tim Paine managed to muff two stumpings. Tendulkar locked his left elbow upright five times during the day; Raina managed it more frequently but seldom with grace when the two were at the crease. Tendulkar didnt waste any time once he reached his nineties,smashing two fours to come within two runs off his 49th Test ton. But after having toyed around with the Australian spinners all day long,sweeping them and picking runs off them rather easily,he ended up falling victim to the part-time off-spin off Marcus North. That began the procession,as Johnson returned to do exactly what Zaheer Khan had done for India the previous day,using his reverse-swing in destructive fashion to get rid off Indias tail. Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Harbhajan Singh fell in the same over,while VVS Laxman who batted at No. 10 due to back spasms too didnt last too long. Johnson then brought an end to Rainas risk-prone innings,as India succumbed to the Aussie pressure once again.

With the pitch going slower and lower than generally expected here,Indias perpetual habit of pulling the rabbit out of the hat late and Australias tendency to crumble in similar conditions,the game though has progressed to a potentially tantalizing finish over the last two days.