Sehwag Parties At Aussies' Expense

Virender Sehwag hit a swashbuckling 195 before Indialost three quick wickets, including that of Sachin Tendulkar without scoring,and yet the visitors galloped to 329 for four on the opening day of the thirdTest against Australia today.

Sehwag's career-best knock and his fifth Test centuryensured India, 1-0 up in the four-match series, kept themselves on course for ahuge first innings score after winning the toss and electing to bat.

Skipper Saurav Ganguly survived the Brett Lee fury andwas batting on 20 alongwith V.V.S. Laxman on six at close.

The Indians were cruising along comfortably at 278 forone at one stage before the world champions made important inroads into theformidable batting line-up by grabbing three quick wickets including the prizedscalp of Tendulkar for a first ball duck.

But by then the Indians had put on some quick runs onthe board to somewhat neutralise the Australian advantage.

Sehwag's rollicking knock, his first century onAustralian soil, provided ample entertainment to a strong 63,000 crowd at theMelbourne Cricket Ground.

Sehwag's century also bettered Sunil Gavaskar's 118 in 1984 as the best knock byan Indian batsman at the MCG.

His 195 came from 233 balls after his five hour and 12minute stay at the crease and included 25 fours and five sixes.

India's opening partnership yielded 141 runs as Sehwagjoined hands with Aakash Chopra (48) to weather a hostile new ball spell fromLee and Nathan Bracken in the first 90 minutes of play.

Sehwag was hit on the helmet by Lee twice, and Choprahad to be given ice treatment after being shaken by a Bracken short ball. Butthe pair hung in and laid a solid foundation for later batsmen to build on.

However, Sehwag had to thank his luck as theAustralians dropped him thrice besides messing up a run out chance when theopener was just on four.

As Sehwag pushed Lee to cover for a single, Choprafailed to heed his partner's denial for the second run.

Steve Waugh threw to the bowler's end but Lee, insteadof lobbing it back to the wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist, tried to break the stumpsand missed the target.

Then, as the first sign of what was in store forAustralia, Sehwag clubbed Stuart MacGill in his first over of the day for twoconsecutive fours.

The aggressive batsman then had the benefit of doubt for a stumping appeal on 36off MacGill. And he responded to that with two stirring fours off Brad Williamsto reach his half century.

Sehwag again had a slice of luck on 66 when SimonKatich could not hold on to a straight forward catch, the bowler being Bracken.

Sehwag reached the 100-run mark in 144 balls with afour, his 16th, off Williams. He then latched on to a MacGill full toss for asix and later got on top of a Steve Waugh slower over the long-off in the finalover before tea.

In between, Chopra had an appeal for run out turneddown by the TV umpire, but fell when he inside-edged a sweep against MacGill andwas caught by Katich.

Adelaide double-centurion Rahul Dravid looked in greattouch and was threatening to break loose as he stitched a 137-run partnershipwith Sehwag in 30 overs to put the Australian attack to sword.

But the never-say-die Waugh then showed greatcricketing acumen as he induced Dravid (49) to fall to his leg-side trap.Bowling nine overs on the trot, the retiring captain sent a couple of deliveriessliding down the leg.

Dravid eventually flicked him to Damien Martyn at shortmid-wicket to miss his half-century by one run. He hit five fours in his 89-ballknock.

Having got the much needed breakthrough, Waugh immediately brought back hisstrike bowler Lee and he paid him back in full, having Tendulkar caught down theleg off the first ball by wicketkeeper  Gilchrist.

The first ball dismissal continued Tendulkar's poor runin this series. He has just 38 runs to show from four innings now.

Tendulkar's scalp brought much cheer for the Aussieswhose shoulders seemed to sag when Sehwag and Dravid were going strong.

Sehwag though did not curb his attack. He reached his150 in 200 balls and another of his thunderous boundaries brought up India's 300in the 77th over.

He moved into the 190s with a smotted six off part-timebowler Katich but, on the verge of his maiden double hundred, drove the nextball straight to Bracken at mid-wicket.

Lee, in the closing hour, dropped a simple returnchance of Ganguly on nine after hitting the batsman hard on the helmet.

The Indian total of 329 fell eight short of the highestscore in a day at the MCG by South Africa but it was the highest first day scorein 95 Tests here.

It was also the first time the opposition has gone pastthe 300-mark on the first day in the 55 Tests Waugh has captained.

PTI