Harbhajan, Kumble push India to 526

Indian seamers were buttered through covers and square as they tried to pitch it up. The spinners got bounce, but little turn on the thin footmarks scratched on a hard track. Already one of the five —RP Singh—is struggling with his hamstring.

Australia managed well in the time they got with the bat on the second day, deducting 62 sans loss — Matthew Hayden was batting on 36 and Phil Jaques was on 21.

The Indian essay ended with Adam Gilchrist’s record-breaking catch. By then India had raked up 526, batting 152.5 overs, though the troubling bit of statistic for the hosts was the 167-run chunk added after overnight centurion Sachin Tendulkar got out.

Harbhajan Singh’s entertaining 63 and Anil Kumble’s stubborn stay can take credit for that with their 107 run eighth-wicket partnership.

The heritage Adelaide Oval is a ground where patience is the only password to success. Australia tried everything — short-pitched stuff, outside the off and within the body stuff, sheer pace and spinners as well. But they couldn’t force anything against the will of the batsman.

Carried away by the run-assault of the first 20 minutes, Mahendra Singh Dhoni tried to smack one over deep point but fell for 16.

Tendulkar’s aggressive leather hunt since the start today saw him sprint to 150 in 203 balls with 13 boundaries to his earlier three sixes. Two balls later, as the grand old clock on the giant Edwardian scoreboard stuck 12 noon, Tendulkar attempted a hook off Brett Lee, landing straight into Brad Hogg’s hands to close his innings at 153.

But the entertainment resumed with the entry of Harbhajan. It helped that Aussie bowlers were let down by slippery hands in the in-field — four catches went down today, but none more crucial than the one of Kumble, then on 7, Jacques slipping at short-leg. Harbhajan and Kumble negotiated the 40 minutes before lunch, garnering 46 runs.

The two played in contrasting styles.The latter exercisedcaution, whileHarbhajan would just hit the ball hard. He reached his half-century from just 87 balls with six boundaries as India went past the 450-mark. The off-spinner’s sudden rush of blood cost him his wicket to Andrew Symonds. He had swatted him for two fours in that over, and went looking for a third, spooning a simple catch to Gilchrist.

Next man RP Singh added nothing, but Kumble donned the responsibility mantle for last man Ishant Sharma and hogged most of the strike.

The Indian skipper got past his fifty from 135 balls with seven boundaries and then tried a few hasty shots as the last wicket partnership reached a proportion where Kumble looked like even reaching what would have been a well-deserved hundred.

Then he nicked a big cover drive attempt and was out on 87, leaving Ishant not out on a well-compiled 14 and the partnership worth 58 runs.

India, 1st Innings

(overnight 309-5)

S Tendulkar c Hogg b Lee 153, MS Dhoni c Symonds b Johnson 16,A Kumble c Gilchrist b Johnson 87, H Singh c Gilchrist b Symonds 63, RP Singh c Johnson b Clarke 0, I Sharma not out 14; Extras (8b, 21b, 3w, 13nb) 45

Total (all out, 152.5 ovrs) 526

Fall of wickets: 1-34, 2-82, 3-122, 4-156, 5-282, 6-336, 7-359, 8-466, 9-468

Bowling: Lee 36-4-101-3, Johnson 37.5-6-126-4, Clark 31-6-92-0, Hogg 31-2-119-1, Clarke 10-0-39-1, Symonds 7-0-20-1

Australia, 1st Innings

PJaques batting 21,M Hayden batting 36; Extras (3lb,2nb) 5

Total (for no loss, 21 overs) 62

Bowling: R P Singh 4-0-14-0, Pathan 6-0-17-0, Ishant 4-0-12-0 , Harbhajan 4-1-9-0, Kumble 3-0-7-0