Australia moves to 166-2 in 1st test

Ricky Ponting and Simon Katich strike confident half-centuries to steer Australia to the strong position of 166 for 2.

Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting gestures as he celebrates scoring a century today.

Ricky Ponting and Simon Katich struck confident half-centuries today to steer Australia to the strong position of 166 for 2 at tea on the opening day of the first cricket test against India. Australia captain Ponting controlled proceedings in the initial two sessions and was unbeaten on 94 at the break, while opener Katich provided valuable support before being dismissed for 66. Ponting entered the match determined to make up for a poor record in India after starting the series with just 172 runs from eight tests in the country. After winning the toss, he took to the Chinnaswamy Stadium wicket just three balls into the match following the early dismissal of Matthew Hayden for 0.

Ponting, whose previous best score in India of 60 came in 1998, looked the most comfortable in a partnership of 166 with Katich - although Ishant Sharma struck his pads on a couple of occasions and forced a nasty inside edge while the Australian was on 78. Ponting struck 12 boundaries in his 182-ball knock and quickly fulfilled his pre-series pledge of a big score. One of Ponting's main concerns before the match was offspinner Harbhajan Singh, who has dismissed him on eight occasions in tests. He glanced his first ball from Harbhajan to the fine-leg boundary and showed few signs of trouble. Two fours off the bowler that were lofted to midwicket were among his best shots, along with a cover drive to bring up his 50 from 104 balls.

Katich, who replaced Phil Jaques as Hayden's opening partner, was cautious before lunch but started to expand his stroke play in the second session. His hard-working fifty came from 122 deliveries with a smart offside boundary from the bowling of Harbhajan. India rotated all four of its specialist bowlers, but Sharma was the only one to create regular bouts of discomfort for the batsmen. He was finally rewarded when he removed Katich off an edge to wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni shortly before tea.

Hayden, who returned from a heel injury which ruled him out of the entire West Indies tour, was ruled to have edged a Zaheer Khan ball to Dhoni, who took the catch low to the ground. Hayden brushed his pad with his bat, but appeared to miss the ball and he remained at the crease for a short time after the decision from umpire Asad Rauf. * AP