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Hazlewood's triple strike leaves India reeling

Hazlewood's triple strike leaves India reeling

By REUTERS

Australia's Josh Hazlewood celebrates the wicket of India's Abhinav Mukund. Photo: Reuters

  • India 122-4 at break, lead by 35 runs
  • Australia make 276 in first innings
  • Jadeja takes 6-63 for India
BENGALURU: Paceman Josh Hazlewood struck three times to help Australia reduce India to 122 for four in their second innings, giving the hosts a slender lead of 35 runs, at tea on the third day of the second test on Monday. Earlier, left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja took six for 63 as India fought back to dismiss the tourists for 276 in the morning session but Hazlewood's haul swung the test back in Australia's favour. READ ALSO The paceman struck in the first over after lunch to send back opener Abhinav Mukund and then returned late in the session to dismiss India captain Virat Kohli in a huge setback to the home side's hopes of a series-levelling win. India promoted Jadeja up the order to make a left-right batting combination but he scored just two runs before the 26-year-old Hazlewood clean bowled him to improve his figures to 3-37 at the interval. Cheteshwar Pujara was unbeaten on 34 at the break with Ajinkya Rahane two not out for India, who lost the opening test of the four-match series in Pune by 333 runs. Mukund's first test in almost six years ended on a sorry note as his off-stump was uprooted for 16 following a first innings duck. Fellow opener Lokesh Rahul completed his second fifty of the match before he fell for 51 to left-arm spinner Steve O'Keefe, with Australia captain Steve Smith completing a flying, one-handed grab at slip. Pujara, who was dropped on four by Smith off Nathan Lyon, and Kohli initially batted without much trouble on a difficult M. Chinnaswamy Stadium pitch before the latter was given out leg before wicket for 15. Kohli reviewed the decision immediately and despite several replays, it could not be determined if he had hit the ball before it struck his pad and the umpire's decision was upheld. The day started with Australia resuming on 237-6, a lead of 48, and the tourists added 32 runs to their overnight tally before losing their last four wickets for seven runs. India were looking to race through Australia's lower order as quickly as possible but left-handers Matthew Wade and Mitchell Starc kept them at bay for the first 45 minutes of the session. Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin bowled over the wicket trying to hit the rough created by the bowlers' footmarks, a tactic which had brought his Australian counterpart Lyon 8-50 in the first innings. The Australians dealt well enough with his threat before Starc perished for 26, holing out to a brilliant catch from Jadeja at the deep mid-wicket boundary to trigger a collapse. Kohli, criticised on Sunday for giving Jadeja less than half the number of overs as Ashwin, finally brought the left-armer on in the ninth over of the day. Jadeja trapped Wade leg before for 40 and repeated the feat on the next ball to Lyon to complete his seventh five-wicket haul in tests. Hazlewood denied Jadeja (6-63) his hat-trick but soon became the 28-year-old's sixth victim of the innings.