Kohli survives helmet bouncer to lead India fightback

Stand-in skipper Virat Kohli survived a fearsome blow on the helmet from a Mitchell Johnson bouncer as he scored a defiant century to keep India in the first Test against Australia Thursday.

Kohli was heavily struck by the first ball he faced from Johnson, briefly setting nerves jangling following last month's freak death of Australian batsman Phillip Hughes.

But he went on to register his third Test ton against Australia as India reached 369 for five at stumps on day three, trailing the hosts' overnight first-innings declaration of 517 for seven.

Kohli was out for 115, three overs from stumps, when he hooked Johnson to Ryan Harris at fine leg.

Rohit Sharma was not out 33 with wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha on one, after surviving a Johnson peppering, to place the tourists 148 runs behind with two days left.

It was Kohli's second Test hundred in Adelaide after his 116 almost three years ago at the famous ground.

The tourists easily negotiated the follow-on target of 318 on the placid Adelaide pitch to raise have hopes of taking an innings lead.

It didn't start well with Kohli ducking into the path of Johnson's menacing bouncer, which thudded into the front of his helmet.

After a few moments of concern from the fielders, the Indian captain continued. Australian batsman Hughes was fatally struck by a rising ball late last month, plunging the cricketing world into mourning.

While Kohli went on to reach three figures, Murali Vijay (53), Cheteshwar Pujara (73) and Ajinkya Rahane (62) all wasted good starts, failing to emulate Australia's three first-innings centurions - Steve Smith (162 not out), David Warner (145) and Michael Clarke (128).

Kohli is captaining India in the absence of wicketkeeper M.S. Dhoni, who is recovering from a hairline fracture of his thumb and is expected to resume his post for next week's second Test in Brisbane.


India were 369 for five in reply to Australia's 517 for seven declared at the close on the third day of the opening Adelaide Test on Thursday.

Rohit Sharma was on 33 with wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha not out one.

Skipper Virat Kohli, who survived a first-ball blow on the helmet from Mitchell Johnson, made 115.

Scoreboard at the close on the third day:

Australia 1st innings (517 for 7 overnight)
C. Rogers c Dhawan b I. Sharma 9
D. Warner c I. Sharma b K. Sharma 145
S. Watson c Dhawan b Aaron 14
M. Clarke c Pujara b K. Sharma 128
S. Smith not out 162
M. Marsh c Kohli b Aaron 41
N. Lyon b Shami 3
B. Haddin c Saha b Shami 0
M. Johnson not out 0
Extras (lb4, w9, nb2) 15
Total (7 wickets dec; 120 overs) 517
Fall of wickets: 1-50 (Rogers), 2-88 (Watson), 3-258 (Warner), 4-345 (Marsh), 5-352 (Lyon), 6-354 (Haddin), 7-517 (Clarke)
Bowling: Shami 24-2-120-2 (1w), Aaron 23-1-136-2 (2nb, 3w), I. Sharma 27-5-85-1 (1w), K. Sharma 33-1-143-2, Vijay 13-3-29-0
Did not bat: P. Siddle, R. Harris

India 1st innings
M. Vijay c Haddin b Johnson 53
S. Dhawan b Harris 25
C. Pujara b Lyon 73
V. Kohli c Harris b Johnson 115
A. Rahane c Watson b Lyon 62
R. Sharma not out 33
W. Saha not out 1
Extras (lb4, w1, nb2) 7
Total (5 wickets; 97 overs) 369
Fall of wickets: 1-30 (Dhawan), 2-111 (Vijay), 3-192 (Pujara), 4-293 (Rahane), 5-367 (Kohli)
Bowling: Johnson 18-5-90-2 (2nb), Harris 17-5-49-1, Lyon 30-3-103-2, Siddle 13-2-62-0 (1w), Marsh 11-4-29-0, Watson 5-1-13-0, Smith 3-0-19-0
Toss: Australia
Umpires: Marais Erasmus (RSA) and Ian Gould (ENG)
TV umpire: Mick Martell (AUS)
Match referee: Jeff Crowe (NZL)

Tea

Skipper Virat Kohli survived being hit on the helmet by a Mitchell Johnson bouncer as he led the way for India on the third day of the opening Adelaide Test against Australia on Thursday.

Kohli was struck with the first ball he faced from Johnson and remained unbeaten on 48 with Ajinkya Rahane on 19 at tea.

The tourists were 223 for three and still 294 runs in arrears, after Michael Clarke declared Australia's first innings at their overnight 517 for seven.

Johnson welcomed Kohli with a bouncer but the Indian captain was OK to continue after a few moments of concern from the fielders. Australia batsman Phillip Hughes was fatally struck by a rising ball late last month, plunging the cricketing world into mourning.

Kohli could not avoid the short-pitched delivery and ducked into the path of the ball which crashed into the front of his helmet.

The Indians only lost the wicket of Cheteshwar Pujara for 73 in the middle session after losing two wickets before lunch.

Pujara missed his chance of a Test century in Australia when he was bowled in unfortunate circumstances by off-spinner Nathan Lyon.

Pujara played a defensive shot, but the ball dribbled off the bat and on to the stumps, ending his 188-minute stay at the crease for 73.

He put on 81 runs for the third wicket with Kohli.

Although Pujara has scored two double Test centuries against England and Australia in India, he has only scored one ton away from the sub-continent with his 153 in South Africa a year ago.

Pujara and Murali Vijay posted India's highest second-wicket stand at the Adelaide Oval, surpassing the modest 71 put on by Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar in 2007.

Pace spearhead Johnson struck just before lunch to remove Vijay, who had looked threatening in reaching his seventh half-century with 53 off 88 balls with three fours and two sixes.

Vijay hit the first six of the Test when he advanced down the wicket and slammed Lyon over the long-on ropes and followed up with a four next ball in the 20th over.

He smashed another towering six in Lyon's next over to keep the Indian scoring rate humming along at more than four an over.

Shikhar Dhawan looked dangerous early, taking 14 off one Johnson over, before Ryan Harris bowled him off an inside edge for 25 off 24 balls in the eighth over.

Michael Clarke spent the first two sessions in the field and made a couple of sprawling saves in the outfield despite his back injury.

Lyon bowls Pujara, but India batsmen hold firm

Australia spinner Nathan Lyon removed Cheteshwar Pujara but India captain Virat Kohli and Ajinkye Rahane held firm to push the tourists to 223 for three at tea on day three of the first Test in Adelaide on Wednesday.

Resuming on 117-2, Pujara and Kohli added 81 runs before offspinner Lyon struck after a sustained period of pressure, bowling the number three batsman with a ball that dribbled through his legs and onto the stumps.

Lyon's breakthrough was not to herald a collapse, however, though a flighty Rahane lived dangerously at times at a sun-drenched Adelaide Oval.

Kohli was on 48 and Rahane on 19 at the break, the tourists still 294 runs adrift of Australia's first innings of 517-7 declared.

Lunch

Australia paceman Mitchell Johnson shook up India just before lunch by taking a wicket and striking captain Virat Kohli on the head as the tourists reached 117 for two at the break on day three of the first test in Adelaide on Thursday.

Australia declared their innings closed at 517-7 before the start of play and India's batsmen prospered for much of a sunny morning on a benign Adelaide Oval wicket.

The menacing left-armer Johnson had a wayward spell with the new ball early but came back with a vengeance to break an 81-run partnership between Murali Vijay and number three batsman Cheteshwar Pujara.
 
Johnson teased a nick from Vijay into the slips to remove the opener for 53 and welcomed stand-in skipper Kohli with a nasty short ball that struck him flush on the badge on his helmet.

With the death of Phillip Hughes from a bouncer still fresh in all minds at Adelaide Oval, the Australians rushed forward out of concern for Kohli and Clarke consoled Johnson as the paceman walked back to his mark visibly distressed.

Kohli was unharmed, however, and survived to lunch on three, with Pujara 34 not out at the other end.

Seamer Ryan Harris, back in the side after a long recovery following knee surgery, took an early wicket by bowling opener Shikhar Dhawan who had raced to 25.

Harris sent in a probing delivery that nipped back a fraction to catch an inside edge and cannoned into the stumps.

Vijay and Pujara then frustrated the bowlers for much of the morning, with the opener taking to offspinner Nathan Lyon, clubbing him for a six over his head and a four with the same shot on the next ball.

Vijay whipped three runs off his pads from Harris to raise his half-century shortly before lunch.

A lunging Mitchell Marsh, fielding in the slips in place of Clarke, earlier missed a half-chance when Johnson coaxed a nick from Vijay that rocketed between the all-rounder and Steven Smith when the batsman was on 11.

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