Steady Australia lose Watson

The Indian new-ball bowlers Praveen KumarPraveen Kumar and Ashish NehraAshish Nehra kept Australia on a tight leash before Shane WatsonShane Watson and Ricky PontingRicky Ponting broke free against the errant Ishant SharmaIshant Sharma to reach 113 for 2 in Mohali. However, India hit back strongly with their spinners, removing Watson near the end of the session, to tighten the screws again.

Australia were 43 for 1 in 11 overs when Ishant was introduced into the attack and immediately Ponting pounced on him with relish. He lofted him for a few boundaries and Watson, too, joined in the counterattack. But just when the partnership looked threatening, India stormed back with their spinners. Harbhajan SinghHarbhajan Singh induced Watson to edge behind with a loopy delivery that bounced, while Ravindra Jadeja and Yuvraj SinghYuvraj Singh kept the batsmen quiet. Much depended on Ponting if Australia were to reach a competitive score.

The injuries to Michael ClarkeMichael Clarke and Tim Paine seem to have forced Australia into a very cautious mode. They don't seem confident that their inexperienced middle-order can adapt to the Indian conditions and all the pressure to score runs is on Ponting, Watson and Michael HusseyMichael Hussey.

Watson got off to yet another wary start as he fought hard to survive the new ball. He can be an lbw candidate early in his innings and the Indian seamers tried to catch him in front with in-cutters but Watson, though struck on the pad couple of occasions, managed to hold his balance well to defend those deliveries. As the ball lost its shine, he slowly grew in confidence and started to go for his shots. The most audacious shot was a swing over mid-on against Nehra and he, also, collected couple more boundaries with his airy flicks.

Ponting started off with a crunchy pull off the first ball he faced and proceeded to play a few delightful shots. The highlight was a nonchalant lofted hit over long-on against Ishant Sharma and he dispatched the next delivery to the long-off boundary.

The Indian seamers, Praveen and Nehra, were spot on with their line and length on a hard pitch that aided a bit of movement. After a horror show in the first game where he was guilty of often bowling short, Praveen has been hitting a full length and shaping the ball both ways to keep the batsmen guessing. He repeatedly took the ball away from the left-handed Shaun Marsh, who looked very rusty and out of touch. Even during his heydays in the IPL, Marsh would never move his feet much but would maintain a perfect balance that allowed him to go through with his on-the-up shots. Not today, though. The balance looked awry and he struggled to come to terms against the nagging bowling.

Nehra, too, hit a full length and troubled Watson, in particular, with the deliveries that straightened on the middle stump line. He got the ball to curve away from Marsh before he got one really full to catch Marsh right in front of the stumps. It was going well for India but Ishant, who was too short or too full, spoiled the start some what before the spinners edged India ahead.