MELBOURNE, Nov 30: Queensland Academy of Sport led India by 175 runs with eight second-innings wickets in hand after the second day of their three-day tour match in Brisbane on Sunday.
The Academy team, made up mostly of part-timers with limited or no first-class experience, reached the close in the comfortable position of 79 for two.
India had earlier conceded a 96-run deficit on the first innings after delcaring after tea at 208 for nine.
The tourists had resumed at 17 for three and never looked like reaching the Academy’s total despite a half-century from VVS Laxman and a watchful 38 from Rahul Dravid.
Laxman, the hero of India’s series win over Australia last year, began cautiously, taking 38 balls to reach his 50 before going on the rampage.
He smacked a further 24 runs from the next 11 balls he faced before being bowled for 74 by off spinner Chris Simpson with a delivery that skidded through.
Likely Test opener Sadagoppan Ramesh, batting at seven, also looked in good touch before being run out for 21 following a mix-up with wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel.
Meanwhile, former Australian fast bowler Bruce Reid will coach India’s bowlers.
The Indian cricket board on Sunday approved a request by the team management in Australia to hire Reid after their raw pace attack was pounded in both their warm-up games.
“Three of our fast bowlers are left-armers so we felt Reid can help them out,” Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Jagmohan Dalmiya told reporters.
The 40-year-old Reid was a left-armer, as are India’s Ashish Nehra, Zaheer Khan and the uncapped Irfan Pathan. Only Ajit Agarkar among their five pacers has played Tests in Australia.
The gangly, injury-prone Reid played 27 Tests over eight years, the last in 1992. He helped Zimbabwe bowlers during their two-Test tour of Australia last month, though the home side won the series 2-0.
Scoreboard
Queensland Academy of Sport (1st innings) 304-6 declared
India (1st innings) (overnight 17-3)
A.Chopra c Carseldine b Brant 0
V.Sehwag c Hartley b Dawes 6
D.Dasgupta lbw b Brant 0
VVS Laxman b Simpson 74
S.Ganguly c Hartley b Dawes 6
R.Dravid c LeLoux b Dawes 38
S.Ramesh run out 21
P.Patel c LeLoux b Magoffin 19
A.Agarkar c Farrell b Magoffin 18
A.Kumble not out 8
I.Pathan not out 4
Extras (lb-11 w-1 nb-2) 14
Total (for nine wkts, decl) 208
Did not bat: L.Balaji
Fall of wkts: 1-7 2-7 3-11 4-26 5-103 6-145 7-177 8-192 9-203
Bowling: Dawes 17-4-36-3 (w-1), Brant 13-4-39-2 (nb-1), Jurgensen 12-5-20-0 (nb-1), Magoffin 12-4-28-2, Simpson 15-2-54-1, LeLoux 4-0-20-0.
Queensland Academy of Sport (2nd innings)
D.Payne lbw b Sehwag 35
C.Simpson lbw b Pathan 5
L Carseldine not out 31
A.Nye not out 2
Extras (b-4 nb-2) 6
Total (for two wkts) 79
Still to bat: C.Philipson, S.Farrell, C.Hartley, R.Le Loux, S.Jurgensen, S.Brant, J.Dawes, S.Magoffin.
Fall of wkts: 1-6 2-73
Bowling: Agarkar 5-0-13-0, Pathan 7-0-24-1, Balaji 5-0-28-0 (nb-2), Kumble 3-1-6-0, Sehwag 2-0-4-1—Reuters