Dhoni Falls Prey to 'K' factor, India Lead By 360 Runs

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Nagpur: After playing a steady game in the post-tea session, skipper MS Dhoni fell prey to the ‘K’ factor. Trying to sweep from outside the off to a Jason Krejza delivery, Dhoni was out caught by Michael Hussey at silly point. However, before departing at 55 runs, the captain courageous did celebrate his 13th Test half century.

Harbhajan Singh too slammed a half century, his 6th in Tests, thus streaching India’s lead past 350 runs. Dhoni’s dismissal invited Zaheer Khan to the crease.

Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Harbhajan Singh played a steady game in the post-tea session to take India’s score past the 250 runs mark. The duo picked quick runs between the wickets along with occasional boundaries to build a sturdy partnership of over 100 runs.

Meanwhile, Jason Krejza continued to add wickets to his kitty after he struck twice to pick Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman back-to-back, leaving India struggling in the last and the final Test match at Nagpur. Ganguly ended his glorious cricket career on a dismal note after he was sent back for a first ball duck by Australia’s Test debutant.

On the last ball before tea, Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni got mixed up in a call for a run that resulted in a massive blow to India in the form of Tendulkar’s dismissal. Sachin’s loss meant India were six down for 166 in their second innings, only 252 runs ahead. A brilliant second session for the Australians meant India were on the mat at lunch on Day 4. The hosts lost 6 wickets for 50 runs in the second session.

Laxman went back to the pavilion with a score of merely 4 runs to his name after he was clean bowled off an unplayable delivery by Krejza that turned 'miles'.

Virender Sehwag fell in the nervous nineties for the second time in the series when he edged a bodyline delivery by Brett Lee into the hands of wicketkeeper Brad Haddin for 92. He proved to be Australia’s nemesis as he put Oz bowlers to the cleaners for his clinical show. The double blow by Shane Watson seemed to have nil effect on the swashbuckling batsman as he had continued his onslaught on the visitors before falling to Brett Lee.

Earlier, India’s ‘V’ factor had tamed the Australian bowling to give a good start to their second innings. Virender Sehwag and debutant Murali Vijay put up a 116-run partnership following their 98 run stand in the first innings to put India in a consolidating position in the second innings of the fourth and final Test match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Soon after lunch on Day 4, Shane Watson struck twice for Australia in quick time. First he sent impressive debutant Murali Vijay back to the pavilion for a well made 41 and later rubbed salt to Dravid’s wounds of poor form by inducing him into an edge behind the wickets.

The duo had extended India’s lead over Australia past the 200 run mark and kept traumatizing the Aussie bowlers and the captain too with their cautious yet aggressive display of batting. Australia’s pacers Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson failed to provide any breakthrough to their team early on thereby letting India race ahead of them on Day 4 of the final Test.

India had resumed from their overnight score of 0 for no loss after Sehwag had faced the final over from Mitchell Johnson on Day 3. Earlier, Harbhajan Singh along with Amit Mishra and Ishant Sharma had suffocated the already frustrated Australians with their tight bowling and had them bundled out for 355, giving India an edge of 86 runs in the first innings.





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