Aussies humbled in Hyderabad

Thursday, 7 March 2013 00:44 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Australia slumped to an embarrassing innings-and-135-run defeat against India after being skittled for just 131 in Hyderabad on Tuesday.

The defeat means Australia are the first side in Test history to declare in their first innings and then lose by an innings.

Needing 267 to make India bat again in the second Test, the tourists resumed at 2-74 but quickly lost Shane Watson for nine.

It all unravelled from there as spinner Ravichandran Ashwin (5-63 off 28 overs) continued his magnificent series and made the Australian batting look decidedly average - the tourists losing their last eight wickets for just 57 runs.

Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja (3-33 off 18) also starred as India took a 2-0 lead in the four-Test series.

Ed Cowan resumed day four on 26 not out while Watson was on nine but the pair’s plan to hang around was extinguished in just the third over of the day.

Watson’s dismissal was particularly disappointing as he edged a poor leg-side delivery from Ishant Sharma (1-5 off five) to wicketkeeper MS Dhoni without adding to his overnight score.

Cowan was typically defiant and teamed up with skipper Michael Clarke (16) in a bid to stem the flow of wickets.

But the resistance lasted less than 11 overs before Clarke was beaten by a good delivery from Jadeja that took out his off-stump.

Clarke had played all around the ball - which got drift and some slight turn - but he could hardly be blamed after his 91 in the first innings.

The wickets continued to fall as Cowan also fell to Jadeja, with Virender Sehwag taking the catch at first slip after the batsman’s edge ricocheted off the pads of Dhoni.

Cowan’s 44 came off 150 deliveries; only one other batsman, David Warner, lasted more than 50 balls.

Moises Henriques (zero) was run out after Jadeja threw down the stumps in response to a risky and unnecessary single before debutant Glenn Maxwell (eight) was trapped lbw by Ashwin.

Peter Siddle (four), Matthew Wade (10) and James Pattinson (zero) also fell cheaply towards the end as the Aussies did not even last until lunch.

Australia’s two scores put together - 237 and 131 - fell short of Cheteshwar Pujara and Murali Vijay’s 370-run partnership for the second wicket, summing up the nature of the defeat.

Pujara was a well-deserved winner of the man-of-the-match award after his stunning 204 in India’s innings, while Ashwin now has 18 wickets for the series at an average of 16.7.

Clarke’s side will now go back to the drawing board ahead of the third Test in Mohali that begins on March 14.