Australian batting buckles under pressure from Indian attack : T2D1

India 0/5 (3ov) trail Australia 9/237 dec (Clarke 91,Wade 62, Jadeja 3/33, Kumar 3/53): T2 D1 at Hyderabad.

Take away the 145 which Michael Clarke 91/186b (1x6, 9x4) and Matthew Wade 62/144b (8x4) added for the 5th wicket after Clarke has won the toss and chosen to bat on what the commentators said was a good batting wicket for at least the first two days and you get an idea of how feebly the the Australians batted. And how consequently the Test, and quite likely the series, is India's for the taking.

The unchanged Indian attack bowled well, with the pace bowlers given a good run with the new ball. Young Bhuvneshwar Kumar isn't all that quick, nor does he move the ball much, but he did enough to take the first three wickets, before the spinners took over.

Clarke was, as so often nowadays, a cut above the rest of his teammates (Wade a partial exception). Even so he was not at his best and was fortunate to survive a couple of chances.

His declaration was both an admission of India's superiority and an indication that Australia will go down with all guns blazing. Unfortunately neither James Pattinson (whose first ball was a wide reminiscent of Steve Harmison's first delivery of the 2006-07 Ashes series) nor Peter Siddle could break through,which leaves them and the inexperienced spin attack of Xavier Doherty (selected instead of Nathan Lyon) and Glenn Maxwell (ditto Mitchell Starc) to do what they can to stem what looks likely to be an Indian surge tomorrow.