Another top-order collapse as India reduced to 73/4 at lunch
The star-studded top-order collapsed yet again as India were left tottering at 73 for 4 during the opening session, on the first day of the third cricket Test against Australia, at the WACA.
Virender Sehwag (0), Rahul David (9), Sachin Tendulkar (15) and Gautam Gambhir (31) were cooling their heels in the pavilion as V.V.S. Laxman (4 batting) and Virat Kohli (10 batting) held fort during the break.
Ben Hilfenhaus, top wicket-taker for Australia in the series so far, once again set the tone with figures of two for 25 for his first session's effort, ably aided by Peter Siddle and Ryan Harris who took the other two wickets.
Put in to bat on a green-top, India lost opener Virender Sehwag (0) and Rahul Dravid (9) inside the first hour.
Sehwag was at the crease for 15 minutes and had faced only three balls when a Hilfenhaus delivery pitched on the leg stump and shaped away taking the edge of Sehwag's bat and Ricky Ponting took a low catch in second slip.
India were 4 for 1 in the fourth over of the innings. Dravid survived 34 balls but was beaten off most of them, indicating the great No 3 batsman presently is not in the best of form.
The introduction of Siddle finally signalled his exit, in the by now familiar manner as the pacer successfully breached Indian stalwart's defence.
The delivery was pitched full on his leg stump and Dravid, slightly late on the stroke, dragged it back on to his stumps.
Just before Dravid was dismissed, he had square driven Siddle to the point boundary.
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