Adelaide, Dec 11 (IANS): Chesteshwar Pujara (73) and captain Virat Kohli (batting 48) helped India reach 223 for three at tea on day three of the first of the four-match Test series at the Adelaide Oval here Thursday.
India lost well-set openers Shikhar Dhawan (25) and Murali Vijay (53) before lunch and Pujara in the second session at critical junctures of the day after Australia had decided to declare on their overnight score of 517 for seven.
Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane (batting 19) were at the crease with Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon taking the only wicket to fall in the second session.
Kohli was tested with high-rising bouncers by the pacers and came out of the testing time, relying on his quick feet movement.
Pujara also played a brilliant hand. His 81-run stand for the third wicket with Kohli looked to be putting India in a strong position but an unlucky series of events saw him being bowled by Lyon.
Earlier, Indian openers started cautiously. They showed a lot of patience and didn’t score in the first two overs bowled by pacers Mitchell Johnson and Ryan Harris.
Left-handed batsman Dhawan started the calculated onslaught in the third over, spanking left-arm pacer Johnson for three boundaries through leg side and followed it up with another cracking cut in the his next over.
Vijay was watchful and defended solidly against the testing line and length persisted by right-arm pacer Harris. He took 19 deliveries to score his first run with a punch through mid-off that fetched him three.
Harris was the better of the two bowlers with Johnson’s ploy of bowling a fuller length not working.
However, Dhawan lost his wicket, dragging a Harris delivery on to his stumps as he tried to drive a ball on the up.
Pujara took time to settle down to the pace and bounce of the wicket.
Once in his groove, he scored regular boundaries through the leg side as Johnson and Peter Siddle bowled full.
The bowlers with their aim to dismiss him either by ripping through his defence or leg-before wicket, pitched the ball up on most occasions and he made full use of it.
Trusting on his wristwork, he earned most of his runs with drives towards covers,
flicks towards mid-wicket and slices towards the point.
On the other hand, Vijay shifted his gear in the 17th over bowled with two consecutive fours.
He made good use of his feet when spinner Nathon Lyon came on to bowl, milking him for a six over mid-on and a four with a backfoot punch through the extra cover. He followed it up by dancing down the track and hitting it over the offie’s head.
Vijay and Pujara shared a 81-run partnership for the second wicket before Australia skipper Michael Clarke brought in Johnson and the bowler delivered by taking the wicket of Vijay, who guided a full delivery that shaped away from him to wicketkeeper Brad Haddin.