It was yet another familiar batting collapse as India were left tottering at 157 for seven at lunch on the fourth day of the second cricket Test against Australia, here today.
The overall lead is barely 60 and India have only three wickets in hand. Battling it out in the middle is left-handed opener Shikhar Dhawan (41 batting), who has already sustained a right wrist injury during the morning net session -- something which Indian team management has attributed to poor quality of practice pitches.
Dhawan, didn't come out to bat in the morning and only came in as late as the fall of sixth wicket in the form of Ravichandran Ashwin (19).
Starting on their overnight score of 71/1, the visitors soon became 87 for five, as the hosts took firm control of the match.
Virat Kohli (1) was also hit on the left forearm as well but he shook off that injury to come out to bat with Cheteshwar Pujara. But it didn't work out too well for the Indian team.
Mitchell Johnson (3-54) took 3 wickets for 10 runs in the space of 11 balls as he rocked the Indian batting order.
Kohli was the first to go, in the 27th over, playing on to his stumps, an inside edge doing the job for the bowler.
Eight balls later, in the 29th over, he removed Ajinkya Rahane (10) with one that rose up and the batsman had no chance to fend it off and was caught at backward point.
Two balls later, Rohit Sharma (0) was gone edging the ball to keeper Brad Haddin as the Indian second innings lay in tatters.
Matters became worse when in the very next over, Josh Hazlewood (2-51) trapped skipper MS Dhoni (0) in front of the wickets and India had lost four wickets for just 16 runs in the morning's play.
Ravichandran Ashwin (19) then joined Pujara in the middle and the two batted for a little while, restoring some sanity to the proceedings. The duo added 30 runs for the 6th wicket and helped India take the lead as the 100-mark came up in the 34th over.
