India lost the key wicket of Virender Sehwag as they began an intriguing chase to win the second Test against Australia at the Chinnaswamy stadium on Wednesday.
India lost the key wicket of Virender Sehwag as they began an intriguing chase to win the second Test against Australia at the Chinnaswamy stadium on Wednesday.
The hosts, set a target of 207 runs on a wearing wicket in a minimum of 77 overs, went to lunch on the fifth and final day at 73-1 in their second innings.
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Sehwag fell in the third over when he edged Ben Hilfenhaus to wicket-keeper Tim Paine, one delivery after smashing a four to the point boundary.
Opener Murali Vijay and debutant Cheteshwar Pujara, who was promoted up the order in place of veteran Rahul Dravid, revived India with an unbeaten partnership of 56 runs.
Both batsmen went to lunch on 29 runs apiece, with India needing 134 more with nine wickets in hand to win the Test and sweep the series 2-0.
The hosts had won the nail-biting first Test in Mohali by one wicket.
Pujara, who fell for four in the first innings to a delivery that kept low, began with two exquisite cover drives off Hilfenhaus and Mitchell Johnson.
The 22-year-old then drove Nathan Hauritz to the mid-off fence to bring up the 50 of the innings.
Australia, starting the day with a lead of 185 runs with three wickets in hand, were earlier all out for 223 in their second innings an hour into the morning session.
Johnson, who put on 32 for the eighth wicket with Hauritz, was bowled by Zaheer Khan for 11 after the pair had added 15 runs to the overnight score of 202-7.
One run later, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth bowled Hilfenhaus for no score, before Zaheer had last man Peter George caught behind by wicket-keeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Hauritz remained unbeaten on 21.
Zaheer and left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha finished with three wickets each, while Sreesanth and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh claimed two each.
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