Day 2
Australia (1st innings) 300
Smith 111, Wade 57; Kuldeep 4-68
India (1st innings) 248-6
Rahul 60, Pujara 57; Lyon 4-67
DHARAMSHALA // Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon was the hero on an engrossing second day of the series-deciding fourth and final Test on Sunday, taking four key India wickets.
Lyon, 29, made the most of a lively track at Dharamshala, which is hosting its first Test, to return a rich haul of four for 67.
Fast bowlers Josh Hazlewood (1-40) and Pat Cummins (1-59) also bowled their hearts out during frugal spells to restrict the top-ranked hosts to 248 for six at stumps.
India still trail by 52 runs with four wickets in hand after Australia made 300 in their first knock, largely thanks to a fine 111 from captain Steve Smith.
At stumps Wriddhiman Saha was batting on 10 with Ravindra Jadeja on 16.
“There was a bit out there for me,” Lyon said after the day’s play. “We bowled well in partnerships. We would like to come out and bowl well again tomorrow and take the four wickets and then bat well.
“They are a world-class batting line-up and you have to challenge them consistently.”
The India batsmen were guilty of squandering good starts in a match they must win to regain the Border-Gavaskar trophy.
But Lokesh Rahul (60) and Cheteshwar Pujara (57) batted patiently to put on 87 for the second wicket, the best partnership so far for the hosts.
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From Dileep Premachandran
■ Kuldeep Yadav – 'Dream come true' meeting with Shane Warne
■ Cheteshwar Pujara – One-format batsman proving his worth
__________________________________
“It’s by far the best wicket we have played on, there’s something in it for the spinners and the fast bowlers as well. The ball kept swinging the whole day,” Rahul said.
“If you spend some time in the middle it’s really good to bat on. All of us got starts but we couldn’t convert.
“But we are happy at the end of the day with 250-odd runs for six wickets. It wasn’t really the worst day for us.”
Ajinkya Rahane, standing in for injured captain Virat Kohli, also looked set for a big score but ended up gifting a catch to Smith off Lyon for 46 made off 104 balls.
Ravichandran Ashwin (30) was adjudged lbw off Lyon. The all-rounder opted for a review but ball tracking showed the stumps would have been hit.
Ashwin hit four fours in his brisk 49-ball knock.
Lyon conceded 163 runs while taking just one wicket in the previous drawn Test at Ranchi.
But the bowler, whose experience as a curator means he has a sharp understanding of pitches, brought Australia back into the game in the final session through some classic old-fashioned spin.
Lyon’s first victim was Pujara, who was coming into the match on the back of an epic innings of 202 at Ranchi.
Pujara tried to defend but the ball ripped back in to hit the glove and then lob up to short leg, where Peter Handscomb pouched an easy catch.
Pujara’s 57 took his run tally past 400 in the series, behind only Smith who has 482 runs from seven innings.
The final session saw another gruelling contest between bat and ball, with the hosts scoring 95 for the loss of four wickets.
The Indians would have been in further trouble but for Matthew Renshaw who dropped two catches, much to the frustration of the toiling bowlers.
But the Aussies have the chance to run through India’s tail with the second new ball on Monday morning and grab the crucial first-innings advantage.
Day 2 also saw words being exchanged with long stares on a couple of occasions. But mostly the players remained within the bounds of good behaviour in what has otherwise been a fractious series.
Australia, who triumphed at home against India in 2014/15, need just a draw to retain the trophy.
* Agence France-Presse
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UAE SQUAD
Mohammed Naveed (captain), Mohamed Usman (vice captain), Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Imran Haider, Tahir Mughal, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed, Fahad Nawaz, Abdul Shakoor, Sultan Ahmed, CP Rizwan
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
Expert input
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Forced%20Deportations
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Violence%20
%3Cp%3EInstances%20of%20violence%20against%20Syrian%20refugees%20are%20not%20uncommon.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EJust%20last%20month%2C%20security%20camera%20footage%20of%20men%20violently%20attacking%20and%20stabbing%20an%20employee%20at%20a%20mini-market%20went%20viral.%20The%20store%E2%80%99s%20employees%20had%20engaged%20in%20a%20verbal%20altercation%20with%20the%20men%20who%20had%20come%20to%20enforce%20an%20order%20to%20shutter%20shops%2C%20following%20the%20announcement%20of%20a%20municipal%20curfew%20for%20Syrian%20refugees.%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%9CThey%20thought%20they%20were%20Syrian%2C%E2%80%9D%20said%20the%20mayor%20of%20the%20Nahr%20el%20Bared%20municipality%2C%20Charbel%20Bou%20Raad%2C%20of%20the%20attackers.%3Cbr%3EIt%20later%20emerged%20the%20beaten%20employees%20were%20Lebanese.%20But%20the%20video%20was%20an%20exemplary%20instance%20of%20violence%20at%20a%20time%20when%20anti-Syrian%20rhetoric%20is%20particularly%20heated%20as%20Lebanese%20politicians%20call%20for%20the%20return%20of%20Syrian%20refugees%20to%20Syria.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
