SQUASHED UNDER THE INDIAN SPINNING WHEEL

India beat Australia by innings & 135 runs in 2nd Test, take 2- 0 lead

By Qaiser Mohammad Ali in Hyderabad

March 6, 2013: THE INDIAN spin trio once again cast a web around Australian batsmen for a second successive Test victory here on Tuesday to give their team 2- 0 lead in the series that made Mahendra Singh Dhoni the countrys most successful Test captain.

Indias innings and 135- run win, sealed with more than a day and a half to spare, was their sixth biggest against in Tests and the second biggest over Australia, after the innings and 219- run verdict in Kolkata in 1998.

Like in the first Test in Chennai, spinners R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Harbhajan Singh again made the Kangaroos dance to their tune, thus putting India on way to 4- 0 clean sweep.

The three spinners had snared all 20 wickets in Chennai and captured 14 of the 19 to fall at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Uppal, as Australia were all out for 131 in their second innings.

Michael Clarkes team had declared the first innings at 237/ 9 and India, thanks for Cheteshwar Pujaras brilliant 204 and Murali Vijays patient 167, piled up 503 for 266- run lead that turned out to be decisive.

Pujara was adjudged Man of the Match while Dhoni won his 22nd Test to go past Sourav Ganguly as the most successful captain. But Ganguly has 11 wins abroad to Dhoni/ Rahul Dravids five each.

Pujara and Vijay, who rediscovered his form, were so dominant that their combined 370- run tally was three more than Australias two innings grand total of 368.

While Pujara and Vijay set up the win, Ashwin bagged three more wickets on Tuesday to complete the eighth five- wicket haul ( 5/ 63) in his 14th Test – and a match haul of 6/ 104. It was his third five- wicket burst in four innings.

Jadeja turned his golden left arm over to claim three wickets for 33, the deadliest one being that of Clarke, Australias best player of spin, whom he beat in defence for a mere 16 to rattle his off stump, before running out Moises Henriques with a direct throw.

Only Harbhajan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who gave a flying start with three wickets on the opening morning, went wicketless in the second innings.

Ishant Sharma managed one wicket in 22 overs in the match.

Ed Cowan with 44 ( 176 minutes, 150 balls, 6x4s) was Australias top scorer in the second innings and had a 56- run opening- wicket partnership with David Warner ( 26, 72 mins, 56 balls, 3x4s, 1x6).

At the start of the day, Australia, who had lost David Warner and Phillip Hughes to Ashwin for 74 by Monday evening, needed 192 to avoid an innings defeat. But they lost their last eight wickets for just 57 on Tuesday.

Shane Watson was the first to depart, in the days third over, and it was Ishant’s first wicket of the series.

After adding 33 with Cowan for the fourth wicket, Clarke ( 16) was bowled by Jadeja for the second time in the match.

Jadeja had a hand in the next two dismissals too, when he had Cowan caught by Virender Sehwag at slip and then ran out Henriques from cover with a direct hit.

After the game had virtually ended as a contest, Ashwin had debutant Glenn Maxwell LBW and Jadeja had Peter Siddle caught by Virat Kohli at gully.

Ashwin ended Wades 45- minute vigil with Sehwag catching him.

(This story first appeared in Mail Today, New Delhi/Chandigarh)