Hilfenhaus bowls Australia to innings lead in Test

Ben Hilfenhaus claimed his Test best wicket haul to give Australia a handy 51-run innings lead over India in the first Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Wednesday. The Tasmanian swing bowler captured five for 75 to wreck India's hopes of a big innings lead and help dismiss the tourists for 282 at lunch on the third day. Hilfenhaus, recalled for his first Test match in almost a year, claimed the key wickets of Rahul Dravid and skipper M.S. Dhoni to put Australia on top in a hard-fought Test. In a spectacular collapse India lost seven wickets for 68 off 28.1 overs with India guilty of some poor batting after they looked in command at 214 for two late Tuesday. Australia got off to a flyer when Dravid was bowled second ball by Hilfenhaus on his overnight score of 68. Hilfenhaus breached the famed defence of "The Wall" and clipped his off-stump just five balls after Tuesday's last over dismissal of Sachin Tendulkar for 73 by Peter Siddle. Dravid, second only to Tendulkar as Test cricket's most prolific-scoring batsman, batted for 187 balls with six boundaries. India suffered a second blow when V.V.S. Laxman fell for just two, caught low down by wicketkeeper Brad Haddin off Siddle, leaving the tourists at 221 for five. Although Laxman has a great batting record in Australia with four Test centuries, he has scored just 113 runs in seven innings at 16.14 at the MCG, one of the least productive venues in his 131 Tests. Laxman took 20 balls to get off the mark and was out two balls later for Siddle's second big wicket. Virat Kohli, playing in his fifth Test, was next to go, getting his bat to an enticing Hilfenhaus outswinger and snapped up by Haddin for 11 off 21 balls. Hilfenhaus struck again in his next over when skipper M.S. Dhoni got a thick outside edge to be caught in the gully by Mike Hussey for just six and leaving his team at 245 for seven and 88 runs in arrears. Nightwatchman Ishant Sharma became Hilfenhaus's fifth wicket when he was taken behind by Haddin for 11 off 69 balls. Ravi Ashwin showed resistance with 31 off 35 balls with three fours and a top-edged six before he was last man out to Siddle. Umesh Yadav remained two not out. Wicketkeeper Haddin finished with five catches for the innings.