Cricket: Australia catch out middle order

India 232-5 v Australia

AUSTRALIA yesterday restricted India to 232 for 5 on the opening day of the first Test in Madras after the openers Nayan Mongia and Navjot Sidhu got off to a solid start, adding 122 runs for the first wicket. However, a middle-order collapse saw Sachin Tendulkar, Mohammad Azharuddin and Saurav Ganguly add a meagre 33 runs between them.

Sidhu and Mongia frustrated the Australian attack for three hours and provided the platform for a big total before Mike Kasprowicz dispatched Mongia, caught at the wicket off a short, rising ball. Sidhu followed in the next over, run out by Mark Waugh at silly point. One over later Shane Warne had Tendulkar caught at slip off an airy drive for just four.

First day; India won toss

INDIA - First Innings

N R Mongia c Healy b Kasprowicz 58

N S Sidhu run out 62

R S Dravid not out 42

S R Tendulkar c Taylor b Warne 4

*M Azharuddin c Reiffel b Warne 26

S C Ganguly lbw b Robertson 3

A Kumble not out 19

Extras (b8 lb6 nb4) 18

Total (for 5, 90 overs) 232

Fall: 1-122 2-126 3-130 4-186 5-195.

To bat: R K Chauhan, J Srinath, Harvinder Singh, Venkatapathy Raju.

Bowling (to date): Kasprowicz 21-8-44-1 (nb3); Reiffel 15-4-27-0; Warne 28-9-69-2 (nb1); Robertson 21-3-63-1; M.Waugh 1-0-4-0; S Waugh 4-1-11- 0.

AUSTRALIA: *M A Taylor, M J Slater, G S Blewett, M E Waugh, S R Waugh, R T Ponting, I A Healy, P R Reiffel, S K Warne, G Robertson, M S Kasprowicz.

Umpires: S Venkataraghavan (Ind) and G Sharp (Eng).