today I am not liking boring E… is a post from: worldwormweb

Andrew Symonds is congratulated by captain Ricky Ponting after he dismissed India's Rahul Dravid. Photo: Reuters

The tourists were dismissed for 161, earning the home side a 337-run victory in extreme conditions at the MCG.

The home side were halfway towards completing the job of bowling India out a second time this match at tea, when the tourists were precariously placed at 5-134, still needing another 365 runs to win.

Even Sourav Ganguly, the last of the specialist batsmen, found the going tough as he needed attention for heat distress towards the end of the session on another dry, hot day.

In another disciplined bowling effort by Australia, they gradually broke down the tourists through accuracy and relentless pressure from the fielders.

India were comfortably placed at 1-55 just before lunch and looking capable of batting out long periods but Andrew Symonds chose the perfect time to bowl offspin and trapped Rahul Dravid (16) in front in the last over of the first session.

Then in the middle session, Brett Lee snared the key wicket of Sachin Tendulkar (15), VVS Laxman let himself down after a determined 42 with a soft shot to cover off Stuart Clark's bowling, and Brad Hogg made it more misery for Yuvraj Singh just before tea.

Hogg fired through a quicker delivery which beat Yuvraj for pace and hit him plumb LBW, for five.

That left Ganguly (36 not out) and wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (one not out) with a massive job to do just to take the match into a fifth day.

By the time tea was taken, the home side's bowlers were performing like they expected a wicket every ball, even on a slow pitch.

Lee's (2-43) dismissal of Wasim Jaffer in the eighth over of the day earned Adam Gilchrist Australia's wicketkeeping record from his predecessor Ian Healy, and Gilchrist's catch to remove Tendulkar took his tally to 397.

Clark again proved the master of control in claiming 1-20 from 15 overs, while Hogg again troubled Ganguly, as the former Indian skipper twice edged just out of reach of first slip.

Hogg finished the session with 1-38 and Symonds 1-25.

Source – SMH

Aussies thrash tourists is a post from: worldwormweb

India also chose two spinners with Harbhajan Singh joining Anil Kumble on a pitch Ponting expected to be very slow and which displayed a few small cracks on the first morning. After a week of unseasonal heavy rain that washed out India's only warm-up match Melbourne turned on a sunny Boxing Day and the forecast did not indicate any showers over the next five days.

Australia decided against choosing a four-man pace attack and instead handed Brad Hogg his fifth Test cap, more than 11 years after he made his debut. Hogg waited an Australian record of 78 games for his second Test but then stalled on four, spending another 45 Tests watching on before being called up for Boxing Day in Stuart MacGill's absence.

Mitchell Johnson won the third fast-bowling position, which he held during the Sri Lanka series, despite a strong push for Tait to rattle India with his extreme speed. The selectors may have been swayed not only by Johnson's impressive Test entry last month but also by his form against India – he was the leading wicket-taker on Australia's recent ODI tour there.

The visitors could not find a spot for Virender Sehwag, who etched his name into MCG history with 195 the last time India played a Test at the ground. Sourav Ganguly became the seventh India player to reach 100 Tests and depending on which authority one believes the MCG might also have reached triple-figures – or its 101st Test.

Australia 1 Matthew Hayden, 2 Phil Jaques, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Hussey, 5 Michael Clarke, 6 Andrew Symonds, 7 Adam Gilchrist (wk), 8 Brad Hogg, 9 Brett Lee, 10 Mitchell Johnson, 11 Stuart Clark.

India 1 Wasim Jaffer, 2 Rahul Dravid, 3 VVS Laxman, 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 Sourav Ganguly, 6 Yuvraj Singh, 7 MS Dhoni (wk), 8 Anil Kumble (capt), 9 Zaheer Khan, 10 RP Singh, 11 Harbhajan Singh.

Source – www.baggygreen.com.au

Australia win the toss and bat first is a post from: worldwormweb