India reduced to 73/4 at lunch

The star-studded top-order collapsed yet again as India were left tottering at 73 for 4 during the opening session, on the first day of the third cricket Test against Australia, at the WACA.

Virender Sehwag (0), Rahul David (9), Sachin Tendulkar (15) and Gautam Gambhir (31) were cooling their heels in the pavilion as VVS Laxman (4 batting) and Virat Kohli (10 batting) held fort during the break.

Ben Hilfenhaus, top wicket-taker for Australia in the series so far, once again set the tone with figures of two for 25 for his first session's effort, ably aided by Peter Siddle and Ryan Harris who took the other two wickets.

Put in to bat on a green-top, India lost opener Virender Sehwag (0) and Rahul Dravid (9) inside the first hour.

Sehwag was at the crease for 15 minutes and had faced only three balls when a Hilfenhaus delivery pitched on the leg stump and shaped away taking the edge of Sehwag's bat and Ricky Ponting took a low catch in second slip.

India were 4 for 1 in the fourth over of the innings.

Dravid survived 34 balls but was beaten off most of them, indicating the great No 3 batsman presently is not in the best of form.

The introduction of Siddle finally signalled his exit, in the by now familiar manner as the pacer successfully breached Indian stalwart's defence. The delivery was pitched full on his leg stump and Dravid, slightly late on the stroke, dragged it back on to his stumps.

Just before Dravid was dismissed, he had square driven Siddle to the point boundary.

Beer party at Perth pitch

NEW DELHI: A controversy broke out on Thursday after news channel Times Now aired footage which showed ground-staff at the stadium in Perth sipping and drinking beer on the pitch only hours before India and Australia play the third Test on it.
The footage showed three or four ground-staff sitting on the wicket with beer cans and the TV channel said it had acquired it through independent source.
The visuals showed some of the barefooted staff having accreditation card while there were others who did not have any card at all.
Senior BCCI functionary Rajiv Shukla said the Cricket Australia must look into the issue.
"It is a serious matter and the Australian cricket Board should look into it, It is the responsibility of the host cricket Board to maintain the wicket. It is their prime responsibility," Shukla said.
Asked if they have talked to the Cricket Australia about it, he said, "It's upto the team management to look into it. if there is a complaint only then we can take it up. We are awaiting the report of the team management. "
"I would like to urge the Australian Cricket Board to look into it. There should be no foreign element on the wicket. The sanctity of the wicket should be maintained," he added.
The channel said as per the ICC rules, the track should be covered and cordoned off ahead of a Test match.
It was not clear whether the Indian team management has lodged a protest.

Dhoni hints For Test retirement

PERTH: Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Thursday made a surprise revelation that he may retire from Test cricket if he is to play in the 2015 cricket World Cup.

"If I have to see through the 2015 (World Cup), I would have to retire from one of the formats," Dhoni told mediapersons here.

Dhoni, who has played in 66 Tests so far and won 17 of the 36 matches in which he has skippered, almost casually mentioned it which took everyone by surprise at the press conference.

Thursday's disclosure by Dhoni seems to convey what he feels about his future in the game if read together with what he had said earlier that he will decide by 2013 whether to play in 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

The 30-year-old Dhoni is more and more being acknowledged as a really good captain in one-day cricket and a very effective batsman in the limited-overs format.

In the Tests, on the other hand, his team seems to have lost the knack of winning abroad in testing conditions and his batting, against lifting and seaming deliveries, look completely out of sorts.

Dhoni had earlier been quoted in the media that he will decide by 2013 if he will play in 2015 World Cup.

"What I really meant is by 2013 I would have to see where I stand as to my body. Whether I will be able to survive till the 2015 World Cup," he had said in the media.

"Of course form is a big factor but also what I need to say is that all of a sudden in 2014 if I feel I can't survive the 2015 World Cup and there comes a new wicketkeeper who has played just 30 ODIs, it's not fair.

"At 2013 end, I have to decide if fit enough to proceed in one of the format. It's not for personal but for country and for the individual who is taking my position. He should have played 70-80 ODIs before he goes in World Cup. That's my personal thinking," he had said.