Cricket: Waugh leads fightback by Australia

India 424 and 99-3; Australia 400

Mark Waugh hit a career-best 153 not out as Australia's batting finally came good on the third day of the third and final Test against India in Bangalore yesterday.

The Australians, soundly beaten in the first two Tests, responded with their highest total of the series and ended a profitable day by taking three Indian second-innings wickets, including Navjot Sidhu, who just missed out on his fifth successive half-century in the series.

Waugh, who came in before tea on the second day at 77 for 2, batted for five and a half hours as wickets tumbled at the other end. He hit 13 boundaries and four sixes in surpassing his previous best of 140 against England at Brisbane during the 1994-95 season.

Waugh's efforts were complemented by Darren Lehmann, who, in his first Test match, made 52. He reached his half-century with his eighth boundary that also brought up the pair's century stand.

The leg-spinner Anil Kumble ensured India's narrow lead with 6 for 98 while Azharuddin became the 13th player, excluding wicketkeepers, to reach 100 Test catches when he took Robertson in the slips off Kumble.

Third day; India won toss

INDIA - First Innings 424 (S R Tendulkar 177, N S Sidhu 74).

AUSTRALIA - First Innings

(Overnight: 209 for 3)

M E Waugh not out 153

D S Lehmann c Laxman b Harbhajan 52

R T Ponting c Tendulkar b Kumble 16

I A Healy c Mongia b Kumble 4

S K Warne c Harbhajan b Raju 33

G R Robertson c Azharuddin b Kumble 4

M S Kasprowicz lbw b Kumble 4

A C Dale c Laxman b Kumble 5

Extras (b12, lb5, nb3) 20

Total (111.3 overs) 400

Fall (cont): 4-249, 5-274, 6-286, 7-350, 8-378, 9-394.

Bowling: Harvinder Singh 7-0-44-1; Ganguly 2-0-10-0; Kumble 41.3-8-98- 6; Raju 37-7-118-1; Harbhajan Singh 23-1-112-2; Laxman 1-0-1-0.

INDIA - Second Innings:

V V S Laxman c Ponting b Warne 15

N S Sidhu c Lehmann b Warne 44

R Dravid c Healy b Robertson 6

S R Tendulkar not out 27

*M A Azharruddin not out 4

Extras (nb3) 3

Total (for 3, 34 overs) 99

Fall: 1-50, 2-61, 3-92.

To bat: S C Ganguly, N R Mongia, A Kumble, Harvinder Singh, Venkatapathy Raju, Harbhajan Singh.

Bowling: Kasprowicz 9-3-16-0; Dale 5-1-21-0; Warne 14-3-42-2; Robertson 6-0-20-1.

Umpires: V K Ramaswamy and D R Shepherd (Eng).

The international referee, Peter van der Merwe, yesterday banned Saurav Ganguly from India's next one-day international for showing dissent on the field during the third Test.