BRISBANE. — Steve Smith again proved the elusive wicket for India as the new captain fashioned an Australian fightback on day two of the second Test cricket yesterday. Smith, who was not dismissed by India in last week’s Adelaide Test win with scores of 162 and 52, continued to be the bane of the tourists with another defiant knock. He has scored 279 so far in the series.

His intuitive stroke-making was again a delight and he danced down the wicket to club spinner Ravichandran Ashwin for two sixes over long-on in one over.

At the close, with a fierce electrical storm about to break, Australia were 221 for four in reply to India’s 408 with Smith unbeaten on 65 and Mitchell Marsh on seven.

“It’s not about Steve Smith or any names that we want to take out here, it’s going to be a couple of wickets that we want to take tomorrow morning,” Ashwin said of India’s chances.

“I think we are in front of the game at this point of time. Our 400 is enough if we can get a couple of wickets tomorrow morning then we’re right in front.”

The Australians lost the wickets of David Warner (29), Shane Watson (25), Chris Rogers (55) and Shaun Marsh (32) in the final two sessions. Marsh, recalled as a replacement for injured skipper Michael Clarke, had registered six ducks in his previous 15 Test innings but yesterday looked to have overcome his series of poor starts. He had a big let-off on 32 when Ajinkya Rahane put down a sitter at leg gully off Varun Aaron in the 45th over.

But he was out two overs later, caught by Ashwin in the slips off Umesh Yadav on the same score.

Rogers missed a chance to post a much-needed big innings after a run of failures when he was out in the over before tea.

It was a good middle session for India, who removed the dangerous Warner in the ninth over. — AFP.

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