Australian batsmen had testing time on a dodgy Feroze Shah Kotla strip as they reached 94 for two at lunch, on the opening day of the fourth and final cricket Test, here today.
Opener Ed Cowan is batting on a patient 27 having survived a torrid time. Giving him company is stand-in captain Shane Watson, who is unbeaten on 16.
Ishant Sharma removed opener David Warner (0) and No 3 batsman Phillip Hughes (45) in two spells on a track where the odd balls took off dangerously from the good length spot while some of the balls kept low.
Even as Ishant and his new ball partner Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled well in tandem, one can't rule out the fact that the behaviour of the 22-yard strip prepared by curator Venkat Sundaram was highlight of the first session.
Hughes, who found some form going his way during the second inning in Mohali, took the attacking route knowing well that playing a game of survival would be difficult on this track. He hit 10 boundaries in his 59-ball knock.
The left-hander hit some flowing cover drives off both Bhuvneshwar and Ishant. He dispatched a lot of length deliveries to the boundary but somehow never looked set partly due to the nature of the pitch.
Even some of the deliveries bowled by Ravichandran Ashwin rose awkwardly and frequently hit the handle of the bat.
