India collapses to embarrassing loss

MELBOURNE: Peter Siddle claimed three wickets, including the prize scalp of Sachin Tendulkar for the second time, as Australia beat India by 122 runs before stumps on the fourth day of the first test.

Set the imposing victory target of 292, India could manage just 169 as its top order offered little resistance in the face of a formidable Australian pace attack.

Man of the match James Pattinson led the attack with 4-53, while Ben Hilfenhaus, who completed his first test five-wicket haul in the first innings, had 2-39.

Tendulkar, who top scored for India with just 32, was denied yet another chance to claim cricket's first ever 100th international century.

Australia's fast bowlers worked in harmony throughout most of the afternoon, applying constant pressure rewarded by regular wickets.

"I've got to give full credit to our bowlers," Australia captain Michael Clarke said. "We all know how dangerous India's batting lineup is and for our bowlewrs to be able to restrict them in both innings, full credit to them."

Hilfenhaus made an early breakthrough before lunch when Virender Sehwag was caught by Hussey for 7 and Siddle (3-42) removed Gautam Gambhir caught by Ricky Ponting in the slips for 13 in his first over of the afternoon session.

Pattinson bowled first-innings danger man Rahul Dravid for 10, then had V.V.S. Laxman, traditionally a big scorer on Australian wickets, caught by Ed Cowan for 1 after making 2 in the first innings.

Virat Kohli was out first ball, trapped lbw by Hilfenhaus.

Tendulkar showed his intent from the first ball, driving for three runs after the crowd of more than 20,000 rose to cheer him to the crease in what is almost certainly his last test innings at the MCG. They rose again as he walked from the field with India at 81-6.

Out for 73 to Siddle in the first innings, Tendulkar batted assuredly before offering a thick edge to Hussey in the gully. The batting great has been stuck on 99 centuries since March and will next attempt to reach the 100th century milestone in the second test at Sydney next week.

Ravichandran Ashwin made a quickfire 30 runs off 35 balls before popping up a Siddle ball to give Cowan a simple catch shortly after tea.

Zaheer Khan drove Pattinson for a boundary to backward point before smashing a six over long on, only to give Cowan his third catch of the innings at short leg off the next ball.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni (23) played the ball onto his stumps off Pattinson's next over to leave tailenders Ishant Sharma (6) and Umesh Yadav (21) to bat out the innings. Yadav was the last man out, caught on the boundary by David Warner off spin bowler Nathan Lyon.

Earlier, Pattinson (37) and Hilfenhaus (14) shared a defiant 43-run partnership for the last wicket to frustrate the Indian bowlers.

Hilfenhaus sent an outside edge to Laxman off an Ishant Sharma ball to end Australia's second innings on 240.

Zaheer Khan claimed the breakthrough wicket of Australian top-scorer Hussey, who made 89 with nine boundaries before offering an outside edge to wicketkeeper Dhoni.

Hussey and Ponting made an innings-saving 115-run partnership Wednesday after Australia's top-order collapsed into disarray at 27-4.

Former captain Ponting was Australia's most consistent batsman in the test, with innings of 62 and 60, including a first-innings partnership of 113-runs with new test opener Ed Cowan, who topped the first innings with a watchful 68.

Scoreboard:

Australia 1st Innings: 333

India 1st Innings: 282

Australia 2nd Innings:

(Overnight: 179-8)

David Warner b Yadav 5

Ed Cowan lbw b Yadav 8

Shaun Marsh b Yadav 3

Ricky Ponting c Sehwag b Khan 60

Michael Clarke b Sharma 1

Michael Hussey b Khan c Dhoni 89

Brad Haddin c Laxman b Khan 6

Peter Siddle c Dhoni b Yadav 4

Nathan Lyon lbw Ashwin 0

James Pattinson not out 37

Ben Hilfenhaus c Laxman b Sharma 14

Extras: (5b, 2lb, 1w, 5nb) 13

TOTAL: (All out) 240

Overs: 76.3.

Fall of wickets: 1-13, 2-16, 3-24, 4-27, 5-142, 6-148, 7-163, 8-166, 9-197, 10-240.

Bowling: Zaheer Khan 20-4-53-4 (3nb,1w), Umesh Yadav 20-4-70-4, Ishant Sharma 12.3-0-43-2 (2nb), Ravichandran Ashwin 22-4-60-1, Virender Sehwag 2-0-7-0.

India 2nd Innings

Virender Sehwag c Hussey b Hilfenhaus 7

Gautam Gambhir c Ponting b Siddle 13

Rahul Dravid b Pattinson 10

Sachin Tendulkar c Hussey b Siddle 32

V.V.S. Laxman c Cowan b Pattinson 1

Virat Kohli lbw Hilfenhaus 0

Mahendra Singh Dhoni b Pattinson 23

Ravichandran Ashwin c Cowan b Siddle 30

Zaheer Khan c Cowan b Pattinson 13

Ishant Sharma not out 6

Umesh Yadav c Warner b Lyon 21

Extras: (10lb, 2w, 1nb) 13

TOTAL: 169

Overs: 47.5

Fall of wicket: 1-17, 2-39, 3-58, 4-68, 5-69, 6-81, 7-117, 8-141, 9-142.

Bowling: James Pattinson 15-2-53-4 (1w), Ben Hilfenhaus 18-4-39-2, Peter Siddle 9-1-42-3, Nathan Lyon 5.5-0-25-1.

Toss: Won by Australia.

Umpires: Marias Erasmus, South Africa, and Ian Gould, England.

TV Umpire: Paul Reiffel, Australia. Match Referee: Ranjan Madugalle, Sri Lanka.

Result: Australia wins by 122 runs.

Series: Australia leads 1-0