Australia v India 2014/15 - 2nd Test, Day 4, Tea: India fight back with two quick wickets but Australia still favourites

Ishant Sharma’s two quick wickets have given India a glimmer of hope

Brisbane, Dec 20 - India fought back and picked up two early wickets but Australia are still on course to win, needing 103 more runs for victory at tea on day four of the second Test at the Gabba on Saturday.

After being bowled out for 224, India reduced Australia to 25 for two with pacer Ishant Sharma taking both the wickets.

The hosts, however, are still favourites to take a 2-0 lead in the four-match series, having being set a meagre target of 128.

Chris Rogers (batting 15) and captain Steve Smith (batting 2) were the unbeaten batsmen at the crease.

The day so far has belonged to the Australian bowlers, who were on fire in the morning session.

Shikhar Dhawan (81) fought valiantly, even stringing together a 60-run partnership with Umesh Yadav (30) for the eighth wicket but it came too late in the day for the visitors.

Earlier, a dismal batting performance by the Indians saw them collapsing to 157 for seven, leading by just 60 runs, at lunch.

It all went wrong for the Indians on the fourth morning.

Overnight batsman Dhawan was injured after he was hit on the wrist while batting in the nets and didn't come out to bat.

Cheteshwar Pujara (43) came out to bat with Virat Kohli (1) and things just kept getting worse for the Indians after that.

Kohli never seemed prepared & was very tentative and was ultimately castled by Mitchell Johnson, who drew first blood.

Johnson was all over India after that; bowling with pace and menace on a pitch that was beginning to get a little difficult to bat on.

India went from 71 for one to 87 for five to all but hand Australia the match.

There were a couple of short partnerships between Pujara & Ravichandran Ashwin (19) and Pujara & the returning Dhawan, but nothing substantial enough to stem the tide of Australian dominance.

Johnson was back at his best, with Shane Watson and the five-wicket hero from the first innings - debutant pacer Josh Hazlewood - right on the money too.

Mitchell Starc was a little wayward as always, but bowled a good ball to get Ashwin out.

The decision, however, looked a little iffy, as did Mahendra Singh Dhoni's lbw.

India, meanwhile, came out with a statement complaining about the practice nets, which they feel have been uneven. The Indians said that they had been requesting for fresh pitches for the last two days, but they had only got used pitches to practice on.

India 1st innings: 408 all out

Australia (first innings): 505 all out

India (second innings):

Murali Vijay b Starc 27

Shikhar Dhawan lbw b Lyon 81

Cheteshwar Pujara c Lyon b Hazlewood 43

Virat Kohli b Johnson 1

Ajinkya Rahane c Lyon b Johnson 10

Rohit Sharma c Haddin b Johnson 0

Mahendra Singh Dhoni lbw b Hazlewood 0

Ravichandran Ashwin c Haddin b Starc 19

Umesh Yadav c Haddin b Johnson 30

Varun Aaron c Hazlewood b Lyon 3

Ishant Sharma batting 1

Extras (lb 2, w 5, nb 2) 9

Total (all out in 64.3 overs) 224

Fall of wickets: 1-41 (Vijay, 10.3 overs), 2-76 (Kohli, 26.1), 3-86 (Rahane, 28.3), 4-86 (RG Sharma, 28.5), 5-87 (Dhoni, 29.2), 6-117 (Ashwin, 36.4), 7-143 (Pujara, 44.4), 8-203 (Dhawan, 59.1), 9-211 (Aaron, 61.2), 10-224 (Yadav, 64.3)

Bowling

Mitchell Johnson 17.3-4-61-4

Josh Hazlewood 16-0-74-2

Mitchell Starc 8-1-27-2

Shane Watson 13-6-27-0

Nathan Lyon 10-1-33-2

Australia 2nd innings

Chris Rogers batting 15

David Warner c Dhoni b I Sharma 6

Shane Watson c Dhoni b I Sharma 0

Steve Smith batting 2

Extras (nb 2) 2

Total (for two wickets in 7 overs) 25

Fall of wickets: 1-18 (Warner, 4.1), 2-22 (Watson, 6.3)

Bowling

Ishant Sharma 4-1-12-2

Umesh Yadav 3-0-13-0

Match Details

Test debut: Josh Hazlewood (Australia)

Umpires: Marais Erasmus (South Africa) and Ian Gould (England)

TV umpire: Simon Fry

Match referee: Jeff Crowe (New Zealand)