ADELAIDE : Fine half-centuries by opener Murali Vijay and stand-in skipper Virat Kohli helped fuel India’s hopes of victory against Australia on the fifth day of the first cricket Test, here today.
A solid 148-run stand for the unbroken third wicket between Vijay (85 batting) and Kohli (82 batting) propelled India to 205/2 in pursuit of victory target of 364 runs.
India now need a further 159 runs with 37 overs remaining in the day.
Vijay faced 208 deliveries with nine fours and a six while Kohli’s 82 off 112 balls with 10 fours and a six.
This was after Australia had declared at their overnight score of 290/5 and had a stipulated 98 overs to bowl at the Indian batsmen on this final day of the match.
Nathan Lyon (1-91) and Mitchell Johnson (1-28) were the only two wicket-takers on the day so far. Ryan Harris (0-28), Peter Siddle (0-16), Shane Watson (0-6), Mitchell Marsh (0-11) and Steve Smith (0-18) were the other bowlers tried out.
Before lunch, the Vijay-Kohli partnership was worth 48 runs and draw looked the more likely result after the hosts had chipped away two early wickets.
Much depended on this second session of play on this final day of the Test.
These two batsmen had been the most comfortable against Lyon’s spin in the first innings and they build on it in the second innings, laying the platform for the possibility of a push for victory in the final session of play.
Kohli was the main architect of this plan since he had attacked Lyon ever since he came to the crease. After lunch, he continued with the ploy, hoisting the spinner for a six. It was a good contest as the spinner had a close shout for leg before against him four overs later.
But Kohli came out on top, scoring 46 runs off the 51 balls he faced from the bowler. He brought up his 10th Test fifty in the 45th over, reaching there in 69 balls.
At the other end, Vijay was solid, and he too got to his eighth Test fifty off 131 balls, getting to the mark earlier in the 37th over.
While Kohli kept the scoreboard ticking, Vijay was alert and watchful, not making any mistakes as the two snatched the momentum away from the hosts.
Perhaps, the biggest blow to them came in the 44th over when skipper Michael Clarke injured his right hamstring while fielding and left the field. Four overs later, the 100-run partnership between the two came up.
Vijay gave one chance before the tea-break though, in the 59th over off Johnson, with Mitchell Marsh not latching to it at short cover.
The batsman was on 85 at that point in time, but closed up again to avoid any more danger before the final session, bringing up the 200-run mark in the 60th over.
Earlier, Shikhar Dhawan (9) and Vijay took guard hoping that today would be the day to improve India’s overseas record of not having a 50-run opening stand since 2011.
But it was not to be as Dhawan was given wrongly out in the fifth over as a short-delivery from Johnson struck his shoulder on its way to the keeper.
While the left-hander was obviously disappointed, Vijay had a life granted to him when later in the 16th over, against Lyon, he padded up to a delivery that spun in sharply.
Cheteshwar Pujara (21) had a tough time against Lyon as he was caught back on his crease many times, with the bowler looking to use the rough areas consistently.
Only with two successive boundaries off the backfoot in the 14th over, he had managed to release some pressure.
But his uncomfortable vigil at the crease didn’t last long as Lyon broke through in the 20th over finally, a delivery that held its line taking a healthy outside edge for keeper Brad Haddin to snap up his second catch in the innings.
Pujara scored 21 runs off 38 balls, inclusive of 4 boundaries.
Skipper Kohli joined Vijay in the middle then and the two batted without much fuss for the remainder 14 overs in the session. The two batsmen brought up the 100-run mark in the 31st over. (AGENCIES)
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