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Australia start slowly after taking 70-run lead

BANGALORE - Australia were nine without loss at lunch on the fourth day after taking a handy 70-run first innings lead in the first test against India at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday.

Matthew Hayden was not out on three and Simon Katich on five at the break and a lot will depend on the start they provide after a spirited show by India's lower-order wrested back the initiative.

Zaheer Khan recorded his second test fifty and helped put on 47 for the last two wickets after India, resuming at 313 for eight, frustrating Australia until half an hour before lunch.

Overnight pair of Zaheer and skipper Kumble (5) added a further 30 runs to close on Australia's commanding first-innings 430.

Zaheer batted freely and flicked and drove spearhead Brett Lee for boundaries and put on 17 runs with last-man Ishant Sharma (6).

Medium-pacer Shane Watson broke the ninth-wicket stand when he had Kumble leg-before in his first over after he replaced Lee in the attack.

But Zaheer displayed the form of the previous day when he and Harbhajan Singh (54) helped the hosts recover from 232 for seven with a feisty 80-run stand.

Part-time spinner Michael Clarke claimed his second wicket in his second over of the day when he dismissed Sharma bowled.

Left-arm seamer Mitchell Johnson was Australia's most successful bowler with four for 70.

India v Australia scoreboard

Australia first innings 430 (R. Ponting 123, M. Hussey 146, Z. Khan 5-91)

India first innings (overnight 313 for eight)

G. Gambhir lbw b Lee 21

V. Sehwag c Hayden b Johnson 45

R. Dravid lbw b Watson 51

S. Tendulkar c White b Johnson 13

V. Laxman c Haddin b Johnson 0

S. Ganguly lbw b Johnson 47

M. Dhoni b Clarke 9

Harbhajan c Haddin b Watson 54

Z. Khan not out 57

A. Kumble lbw b Watson 5

I. Sharma b Clarke 6

Extras (b-23, lb-23, nb-6) 52

Total (all out; 119 overs) 360

Fall of wickets: 1-70 2-76 3-94 4-106 5-155 6-195 7-232 8-312, 9-343, 10-360

Bowling: B Lee 26-6-64-1 (nb-2) S. Clark 17-3-58-0 (nb-1), M.Johnson 27-4-70-4, S. Watson 19-4-45-3 (nb-3), C. White 13-2-39-0, M. Clarke 17-3-38-2

Australia second innings

M.Hayden not out 3

S. Katich not out 5

Extras (nb-1) 1

Total (no loss; 6 overs) 9

To bat: R. Ponting, M. Hussey, M. Clarke, C. White, S. Watson, B. Haddin, B. Lee, M. Johnson, S. Clark. Bowling: Z. Khan 3-1-5-0 (nb-1), I. Sharma 2-1-4-0, Harbhajan 1-1-0-0 (Compiled by Sanjay Rajan; Editing by Martin Petty)