Indian Sehwag equals record after Paine misses ton

MOHALI, India, Oct 2 (AFP) - India rode on Virender Sehwag's record-equalling half-century to reach 110-2 in their first innings in reply to Australia's 428 in the opening Test on Saturday.

The Indian opener scored a blazing 59 off 54 balls with 10 fours in the final session after Australian wicketkeeper Tim Paine (92) had missed out on a maiden Test hundred.

Sehwag equalled the record of scoring a 50 or more in 11 consecutive Tests. West Indies' Viv Richards and Indian Gautam Gambhir are the other batsmen to have achieved the feat. With the pitch offering no help to bowlers, Australia struggled to contain runs as Sehwag went for his shots from the beginning and raced to his half-century off 38 balls.

Australia introduced spin after 12 overs, but Nathan Hauritz was greeted with two fours by Sehwag, who was eventually caught by Michael Clarke in the covers off a leading edge to become paceman Mitchell Johnson's second victim.

Wicketkeeper Paine, playing only his third Test, was earlier instrumental in boosting Australia with a solid knock which came off 196 balls with the help of 12 boundaries.

Australia were indebted to Paine for adding 153 runs for their last four wickets as he was involved in crucial stands with Johnson (47) and tail-ender Ben Hilfenhaus (20 not out).

Paine, who added 53 for the sixth wicket with opener Shane Watson (126), put on 82 for the seventh with Johnson and 54 for ninth with Hilfenhaus to shatter India's hopes of restricting Australia to a modest total.

India's bowlers struggled against a determined Australian batting on an easy-paced pitch, taking just one wicket in the first session and two in the second.

Left-arm paceman Zaheer Khan was the most impressive bowler with 5-94, his 10th haul of five or more wickets in a Test innings. Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh finished with 3-114.

With fast bowler Ishant Sharma unable to bowl after leaving the field on Friday due to a leg-injury, India took the second new ball after 146.4 overs, relying on spinners Pragyan Ojha and Harbhajan.

Sharma bowled just two overs on Saturday before being replaced with Ojha.

It was Zaheer who claimed a big wicket with the new ball when he had Paine caught by Venkatsai Laxman at second slip for his fifth wicket.

Watson, unbeaten on 101 on Friday, hit a career-best knock before being caught by Gambhir at short-leg off Harbhajan in the morning, his previous best being an unbeaten 120 against Pakistan at Melbourne last year.

He cracked 10 fours in his 338-ball knock.

	    Score board
     
 AUSTRALIA - 1ST INNINGS
          (overnight 224-5)

S. Watson c Gambhir b Harbhajan		126
S. Katich lbw b Zaheer			  6
R. Ponting run out			 71
M. Clarke c Dravid b Harbhajan		 14
M. Hussey lbw b Zaheer		 	 17
M. North b Zaheer			  0
T. Paine c Laxman b Zaheer		 92
M. Johnson c Dhoni b Zaheer		 47
N. Hauritz c Gambhir b Harbhajan	  9
B. Hilfenhaus not out			 20
D. Bollinger c Sharma b Ojha		  0
Extras (b4, lb9, nb13)			 26
Total  (151.4 overs)			428

Fall of wickets: 1-13 (Katich), 2-154 (Ponting), 3-172 (Clarke), 
		 4-218 (Hussey), 5-222 (North), 6-275 (Watson), 7-357 (Johnson), 
		 8-373 (Hauritz), 9-427 (Paine), 10-428 (Bollinger).

Bowling: Zaheer 30-7-94-5 (nb1), 
	 Sharma 11.4-1-71-0 (nb10), 
	 Ojha 51.4-16-113-1 (nb2), 
	 Harbhajan 49-12-114-3, 
	 Sehwag 9.2-1-23-0.

INDIA - 1ST INNINGS

G. Gambhir lbw b Johnson		25
V. Sehwag c Clarke b Johnson		59
R. Dravid not out			21
I. Sharma not out			 0
Extras (b1, lb4)			 5
Total (for two wkts; 21 overs)		110

Fall of wickets: 1-81 (Gambhir), 2-106 (Sehwag).

Bowling: Hilfenhaus 9-0-39-0, 
	 Bollinger 4-0-22-0, 
	 Johnson 6-1-29-2, 
	 Hauritz 2-0-15-0.