Kohli hit his second hundred of the match in the first Test in Adelaide.
© AFP
Adelaide: India crashed to a 48-run defeat in the first Test at Adelaide on Saturday after captain Virat Kohli slammed a career-best 141. Aussie off-spinner Nathan Lyon took 7 for 152 to trigger a dramatic turnaround as the hosts went 1-0 up in the four-Test series. It was the perfect tribute to the late Phillip Hughes, who was the '13th man' of this emotional game for the Aussies.(Scorecard | Day 5 Blog )
Murali Vijay and Kohli turned the screws on Australia's bowlers to give India a chance of snatching an improbable victory on the last day of the first test on Saturday. After being set a daunting total of 364 to win, India recovered from the loss of two early wickets to reach 205 for two at tea at Adelaide Oval. That left the tourists needing a further 159 runs from the final session with eight wickets in hand and their two key batsmen at the crease. India were all out for 315. (Kohli's Hundred in Vain)
When tea was taken, Vijay was unbeaten on 85 with Kohli not out 82 after the pair had added 148 for the third wicket in an unbroken partnership. While self-preservation was the initial priority for the pair, they kept the scoreboard ticking along with some controlled aggression, adding exactly 100 runs after lunch. (Vijay Misses Out on Ton)
Vijay completed his second half-century of the match after a patient 208-ball knock that featured nine fours and a six. Kohli, who scored a hundred in India's first innings, was more aggressive, smashing 10 boundaries and one six to reach his 82 off just 112 deliveries.
As expected, the Australians did not resume their second innings on Saturday, with Michael Clarke declaring on their overnight score of 290-5. Steven Smith remained not out on 52 while Brad Haddin was unbeaten on 14, leaving the Australians a minimum of 98 overs to bowl out the visitors.
With the pitch starting to take turn, the odds were heavily stacked in Australia's favour. The last time a team scored more than 300 runs in the fourth innings to win a Test in Adelaide was in 1902.
The home team got a lucky break when Indian opener Shikar Dhawan was given out for nine in the fifth over of the morning, caught down the legside by wicketkeeper Haddin off Mitchell Johnson.
Television replays showed the ball came off Dhawan's shoulder but because India refuses to allow the use of DRS -- the video review system used by all other cricket countries -- Dhawan was unable to ask for a reprieve.
The Australians got a second wicket with the total on 57 when offspinner Lyon dismissed Cheteshwar Pujara for 21, deceiving the batsman with a ball that stayed straight and found the thinnest of edges.
But the Indians dominated after that and Australia's woes were compounded when Clarke limped off the field with a suspected hamstring problem that could force him to miss the second Test, starting in Brisbane next week.
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