Brisbane: Australia took charge of India on a hectic fourth morning of the second Test at the Gabba, as the visitors crumbled in the face of concerted pace and pressure from Mitchell Johnson and Josh Hazlewood.
Resuming at 1 for 71, the overnight batsman Shikhar Dhawan did not walk out to bat at 10am because he had been struck on the wrist in the practice nets, and his replacement Virat Kohli had also been hit while netting before play. The shuffle gave Australia an avenue down which to attack, and Johnson did so.
In the space of a single spell he prompted Kohli to drag onto the stumps, bounced out Ajinkya Rahane and coaxed an edge behind from Rohit Sharma. When Hazlewood chimed in to pin MS Dhoni lbw, India had lost 4 for 11 and any semblance of control over the game.
R Ashwin endured for a time but was given out caught behind off Mitchell Starc when the ball may have brushed thigh rather than bat, and Chesteshwar Pujara’s stubborn innings was ended by a sharp lifter from Hazlewood that looped off the shoulder of the bat to gully.
Having begun the series in subdued fashion, Johnson had been roused to life with the bat on day three by an uncertain match situation and some Indian goading. He followed that up with his best bowling of the series on the fourth morning, cramping and defeating Kohli before finding sharp enough bounce to confound Rahane and Rohit.
Dhoni’s had jumped forward and across his stumps a long way when Hazlewood pitched straight and full, and Ashwin never quite suggested permanence. Pujara’s dismissal to another Hazlewood steepler completed a wretched morning for the visitors and a storming one for the hosts.
Lunch India 408 and 7 for 157 (Dhawan 41*, Umesh 7*) lead Australia 505 by 60 runs
