Vijay, Pujara put India in command on second day

HYDERABAD: An unbroken 294-run stand between Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara put India in command against Australia on second day of the second Test here at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Sunday.

The day also showcased the variety Test cricket allows, with India's scoring-rate jumping dramatically in every session. They were restricted to 49 runs in the morning, Pujara and Vijay then became more expansive to pick off 106 runs in the second session, before going berserk post-tea to pile on 151 runs against a wilting Australia.

India's dominance on the day came on the back of a watchful morning session, in which both batsmen looked to play straight, shelving the cross-batted shots that had cost Australia dearly on the first day.

With this century, Vijay could become India's first-choice opener because the selectors' patience with Virender Sehwag will be running low after he nicked Peter Siddle to fall for 6 – he now has only one 50-plus score in 13 innings.