NARENDRA MODI...

“Once, two friends went hunting. They were not expecting a tiger and didn’t have guns. So when the tiger appeared, they showed the tiger their gun licenses. That is pretty much what is happening in the country today.”

We do not need ACTS but ACTION: Narendra Modi at India Today Conclave 2013

CHAMPIONS TROPHY SCHEDULE......

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE....

‘The Canopy’ Tower, Hong
kong

The tower is made of 54
duplex
apartmentssurrounded by
their own and individual
gardens. The flats
(1150sqf net plus a 525
square feet of garden/
balcony) are like modern
tree houses: immersed in
nature, yet offering a full
21st century comfort and
lifestyle. The duplex
layouts offer high ceilings
and big volumes for a
reasonable size.

Now, app that hooks you up with strangers....

New York: Austin's annual music, film and interactive fest South by Southwest (SXSW) -- dubbed spring break for geeks-now has a whole new way for attendees to hook up with each other, a sex app called Bang with SXSW.

It is a spinoff of the recently launched Bang with Friends.

Bang with Friends, launched by three twenty-somethings, allows users to sign up for the service via Facebook and select "friends" you'd like to have sex with, the New York Daily News reported.

If that person selects you, then it's game on.

According to reports, Bang with Friends, which launched at the end of January, has gained 750,000 users so far, with about 180,000 pairs who have been successfully matched.

The SXSW version simplifies hooking up at SXSW, something that presumably isn't that hard to do in the first place.

But the group says it is also focusing on promoting safer sex by handing out thousands of condoms across the city.

Bang with Friends isn't the only app to tap into SXSW's hookup culture, writes TechCrunch.

Social network Qpid is relying on SWSW as a way to get users to share their sexual health status to help keep it safe in the bedroom. 

Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG....

Rs 1,46,00,000

BMW X1 facelift....

Rs 27,90,000

Honda CR-V Fourth Generation

Rs 21,62,793

Toyota Fortuner TRD Sportivo....

Rs 22,53,811

Land Rover Range Rover Sport facelift....

Expected Price:   99 Lakh-1 CroreExpected by:   Mar-May 2013

• Overview

The all-new Land Rover Range Rover was recently launched in India. The Range Rover Sport though is still awaiting its mild facelift.

The refreshed Range Rover Sport was introduced in the global market a few months back and continues to don the facelift that it was given in 2011. The 2013 model though gets a re-designed alloy wheels, five new body colours and two new interior colour options. The mechanicals remain unchanged. The 2013 Range Rover Sport is expected to reach Indian shores between March and May 2013.

Tata Dolphin....

Expected Price:   2-4 LakhExpected by:   Feb 2014

• Overview

Tata is rigorously working towards revamping its product lineup in India since the current crop is a tad too old to do any more good to the carmaker’s fortunes. One of the first ‘new’ products was the Safari Storme and the next ones in the lineup are the Nano 800 and the Nano diesel. However, between the Nano and the Indica Vista, Tata is planning to add another small car that will be more premium and decidedly smaller than the Indica eV2.

The car is codenamed Dolphin and will be a tall-boy like the Nano, albeit larger. We believe that the Megapixel Concept that Tata showcased back in 2012 provides an insight into the Dolphin’s design and engineering direction. The Dolphin could actually become the most important small car for Tata in recent times with a new lineup of petrol and diesel engines, a new design direction and host of new features that will make it the most value-for-money offering amongst cars like the Honda Brio, Chevrolet Beat, Hyundai i10 and the Suzuki Wagon R.

We expect the production-ready Megapixel or Dolphin to make its first public appearance at the 2014 Auto Expo in February 2014.

Bajaj RE60.........

Expected Price:   1-2 LakhExpected by:   Jan 2014

The RE60 isn’t exactly a car, hints Bajaj. But the RE60 was indeed born from the idea behind the Ultra-Low-Cost-Car or ‘ULC’ that Bajaj, Renault and Nissan had given birth to at the 2008 Auto Expo. What began as a project to rival the Nano, could end up as a product that may trump the auto rickshaws and tuk-tuks in this part of the world. In fact, Bajaj associates the ‘RE” moniker with the auto rickshaws itself.

The RE60’s production form has been caught testing quite a few times in 2012. The vehicle shown at the Auto Expo was propelled by a 200cc engine mounted in the rear of the car. The four-vavle DTS-i engine is similar to the mill that powered Bajaj’s Pulsar motorcycle and will produce about 20 PS of power. However, we won’t be surprised if Bajaj uses the three-spark technology instead that debuted with the Pulsar 200 NS motorcycle. It would not only help Bajaj claim better fuel economy, it could also serve to be a more refined motor than the DTS-i engine.

The RE60’s concept form featured a fare-meter as an integrated factory fitment, therefore making Bajaj’s intentions clear of making this a rickshaw alternative. Undoubtedly, the RE60 could indeed be a safer, more comfortable alternative to the conventional tuk-tuk!

Overview Purists hate the fact that a sportscar maker like Porsche has divulged into the SUV space with the Cayenne. However, the sheer success of the product has kept the bankers happy and therefore Porsche has decided to extend its portfolio with a smaller Cayenne! It called the Macan and the compact SUV is still under development. The test mules that have been spotted though show an Audi Q5-sized SUV that looks much similar in design to the Cayenne. The Macan is expected to make its production ready appearance by mid-2013 and that is when we’ll get all the information on the oily bits. We expect Audi-derived engines to make their way into the compact SUV with a hint of Porsche tuning to it. With India’s affinity for SUVs, we are sure Porsche India will have plans for the Macan too – expect the vehicle to make its Indian appearance at the 2014 Auto Expo in New Delhi then!

Expected Price:   45-70 LakhExpected by:   Jun-Aug 2014

• Overview

Purists hate the fact that a sportscar maker like Porsche has divulged into the SUV space with the Cayenne. However, the sheer success of the product has kept the bankers happy and therefore Porsche has decided to extend its portfolio with a smaller Cayenne! It called the Macan and the compact SUV is still under development. The test mules that have been spotted though show an Audi Q5-sized SUV that looks much similar in design to the Cayenne.

The Macan is expected to make its production ready appearance by mid-2013 and that is when we’ll get all the information on the oily bits. We expect Audi-derived engines to make their way into the compact SUV with a hint of Porsche tuning to it. With India’s affinity for SUVs, we are sure Porsche India will have plans for the Macan too – expect the vehicle to make its Indian appearance at the 2014 Auto Expo in New Delhi then!

Maruti Suzuki Cervo.......

• Overview

The buzz about Maruti Suzuki’s plans of bringing the Cervo to the Indian market has been around for a quite a while now. Looks like the Gurgaon based carmaker is indeed planning to introduce the Cervo to India - however, this is expected to be an all-new model that is being co-developed with Suzuki Japan. The Cervo will be propelled by a 1.0-litre K-series petrol engine and a small 1.0-litre diesel mill is also in the pipeline.

The Cervo will be Maruti Suzuki’s B-segment contender and will take on cars like the Honda Brio, Chevrolet Beat and the upcoming Hyundai i10 facelift. The Cervo will be placed in a similar price range as that of the Wagon R and is expected to replace the Zen Estilo upon launch. The Cervo is a tall-boy design like the Wagon R and the Estilo, however it will be a more premium offering as compared to the other two.

Karbonn aims to sell over 1 lakh Titanium S5 phones by June....

New Delhi: Mobile handset firm Karbonn is targetting to sell over one lakh units of its newly launched quad-core smartphone Titanium S5 by June this year.

"We hope to sell a few hundred thousand phones of Karbonn Titanium S5 in our first quarter (ending June 2013)," Karbonn Mobiles' Executive Director Shashin Devsare told PTI.

The month of March has seen a series of announcements of smatrphones with quad core processors. This type of processor has four different processors embedded on a single chipset and promises access to around four functions simultaneously.

Karbonn launched Titanium S5 model, one of lowest price models in quad-core smartphone segment, at Rs 11,990 early this week. The company's announcement followed launch of quad-core phone from its competitor Lava's Xolo for Rs 12,499.

"The strategy behind the launch of the Titanium S5 Karbonn Mobiles is to position...The cutting-edge features and price bracket of this phone. Also we are aiming to reach 5 million approximately smart phones devices sales with Titanium S5 by the next financial year(2013-14)," Devsare said.

Early this month, Sony announced launch of its water proof quad-core phone Xperia Z for Rs 38,990. Samsung also has showcased its quad-core smartphone Galaxy S4 but the company is yet to announce launch date and price for the Indian market.

Karbonn's Titanium S5 has 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon quad-core processor, dual sim to support 3G and 2G connection, 8 megapixel auto focus camera with flash light, a 2MP front camera that can be used for video calling, three external sensors to automatically control functions of the phone. 

Aakash's fate uncertain, govt says 'failure' in production...

New Delhi: The fate of the much touted low- cost computing device Aakash looks uncertain with the government Friday conceding that there has been a "failure" in its production.

Concerned over the tardy progress, the HRD Ministry has written to IIT Bombay (the executing body) to ensure the vendor (Datawind) meets the terms and conditions and the supply order by March 31 in letter and spirit, failing which action could be initiated against it.

The ministry is also awaiting a report from a committee headed by Rajendra Pawar before taking a call about the prospects of the device on which many students had pinned their hope.

"... The other challenge is productionising it. That is where the failure has come. If the productionisation had happened on time, students would have accessed to it. 
The product exists but we are not able to productionise it as much as required," HRD Minister M M Pallam Raju told reporters here.

The tablet was promised to be made available to students at a subsidised rate of Rs 1130. Datawind was asked to supply one lakh pieces initially, which never happened.

Raju, though, maintained that the project has created an environment for similar other devices in the market which a students as well can go for instead of being too "obsessed" with the device.

"Aakash is a tablet which will enable you to access the content. But there are others who have come up...Students will pick up whatever serves the purpose better and affordable. We will continue to work on the product as long as development of the product is concerned," he said, when asked if the tablet should be opened to market force which can determine which product can survive in the rather than focussing on it solely.

He hoped in due course, other vendors could also chip developing the device.

Raju said the ultimate aim should be to enable a student to access content at an affordable price through enabling environment and exploiting the 'National Mission on Education using ICT' platform. 

The project, a brain child of the then HRD Minister Kapil Sibal, was launched amid much fanfare in October, 2011, drawing adulations from domestic and international market. It was also hailed by UN with the secretary general Ban Ki-moon unveiling there last November.

The government also prepared a cabinet note for procuring 50 lakh such pieces with enhanced specifications, amid indications that it would be placed soon.

When asked about it, Higher Education Secretary Ashok Thakur said they would take a call on it only after receiving the report of the Rajendra Pawar Committee which evaluated the feasibility of the technology used for Aakash tablet.

"The day he is going to submit his report, based on that we will take further action on whether to proceed with the Cabinet note or to concentrate and look at the immediate thing that is connectivity," he said.

A separate committee headed Goverdhan Mehta is also understood to have examined the feasibility of the device under the 'The National Mission on Education using ICT'.

"The idea was that once we have supply of one lakh tablets, we would be able to proceed further...There has been a setback, it seems that have not been able to supply, so therefore," Thakur said expressing his regret at the lack of progress.

He said Datawind has been set a target of March 31 to comply with its supply orders, failing which "action will be taken against the company".

"The company could not supply us on time, so we had to extend the date to March 31. We have written to IIT Bombay to ensure that the term and conditions and the supply order should be implemented in letter and spirit.

So on March 31, we will come to know how much they have supplied but the information we got sometime back was that there was lot of gap. So in concern, we wrote to IIT Bombay to ensure that full supply are received," he said. 

10% people addicted to smartphones....

London: One in ten people have revealed that they are addicted to their smartphone, according to a new study.

The US study conducted on 2,000 college students has found that ten percent respondents have claimed to have a full-blown addiction to the gadgets, the Sun reported.

The study found that 85 percent people constantly checked their phones for the time, while three-quarters slept beside it.

Meanwhile, counsellor Peter Smith, who reported a ten percent increase in Brits seeking help for smartphone addiction at his clinic, said that smartphone users feel they've got more control to communicate with whoever they want but ironically, it's that sense of control that creates the anxiety.

He said that it has made younger people more dependent on maintaining those contacts, which can create issues from bullying, to being marginalised and excluded.

Smith added that not having a phone raises the heart rate and signs of panic and these symptoms are almost identical to alcoholism or addiction to gambling, food or drugs. 

Nokia Lumia 620: Price list in India...

New Delhi: The cheapest Windows Phone 8 based smartphone, the Nokia Lumia 620 is here in India and is already on sale on various online shopping sites.

Launched in December 2012, the Nokia Lumia 620 was officially available on Nokia India store at Rs 14,999 in March, after much anticipation.

Considered an entry point into the world of Windows Phone 8, Lumia 620 features a 3.8-inch LCD display with a resolution of 800×480 pixels, 1GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 play processor and 512MB of RAM.

Moreover, it has an 8GB of internal storage which is expandable to 64GB with a microSD card. It also supports a 5-megapixel camera that can shoot 720p video and 3G capabilities.

The Lumia 620 is available in India on various online shopping sites at different prices.

Given below is some of the price list in India.

ShopClues.com Rs 14,890

Sulekha.com Rs 14,299

Zoomin.com Rs 15,199

The Mobile Store Rs 14,230

Flipkart Rs 14,999

HomeShop Rs 14,999

Nokia Online Rs 14,999 

Gold recovers by Rs 80 to Rs 30,330 per 10 gm

New Delhi: Both the precious metals, gold and silver, recovered here Friday on fresh buying by stockists supported by a firm global trend.

While gold recovered by Rs 80 to Rs 30,330 per 10 grams, silver rebounded by Rs 430 to Rs 55,180 per kg on increased offtake by jewellers and industrial units.

Traders said fresh buying by stockists supported by a firm global trend mainly led to the recovery in both the precious metals.

Gold in New York, which normally sets the price trend on the domestic front, rose by USD 8.10 to USD 1,614.80 an ounce and silver by 1.25 percent to USD 29.18 an ounce.

On the domestic front, gold of 99.9 and 99.5 percent purity recovered by Rs 80 each to Rs 30,330 and Rs 30,130 per 10 grams, respectively. It had lost Rs 120 yesterday.

However, sovereigns held steady at Rs 25,300 per piece of eight grams in limited deals.

In line with a general firm trend, silver ready rebounded by Rs 430 to Rs 55,180 per kg and weekly-based delivery by Rs 54,835 per kg. The white metal had declined by Rs 250 in the previous session.

Silver coins continued to be asked around previous level of Rs 82,000 for buying and Rs 83,000 for selling of 100 pieces. 

Samsung confirms smart watch to take Apple 'iWatch' head on

London: Samsung has confirmed that it is working on a smart watch of its own to take on tech giant Apple's iWatch.

The news comes after months of rumours that the South Korean firm has been working on a wrist-worn rival to supposedly-upcoming iWatch.

VP Lee Young Hee told Bloomberg that the firm had been preparing the watch product 'for so long'.

The firm is preparing products for the future, and the watch is definitely one of them, he added.

According to Techradar, he didn't give any details about what the wristwatch.

Lee said that 'the issue here is who will first commercialise it so consumers can use it meaningfully,' the report added. 

Police could have averted 1993 blasts: SC

New Delhi: The Supreme Court Thursday said the Mumbai blasts could have been averted if Mumbai police had prevented its personnel from conniving in the smuggling of arms, explosives, contraband and bribery in 1993. 

"If Bombay police officials had been able to curtail the conveyance of the contraband in January and February 1993, the occurrence of the March 12, 1993, could have been avoided," the apex court bench of Justice P Sathasivam and Justice BS Chauhan said in their judgment on cross-appeals by the convicted and Maharashtra government in the blast cases. 

While upholding the death sentence of Yakub Abdul Razak Memon, the court commuted the death sentence of 10 others. The apex court also upheld the conviction of Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt under the Arms Act in the terror attack and sent him to five years in prison. 

Reminding Mumbai police of its duties and obligations, the court said: "Police officials are the foundation for the existence of the rule of law. If they collapse, the whole system breaks down. Hence, they have sensitive responsibility to defend the safety and security of the people at all times." 

"Unfortunately, in the present case, police officers themselves had taken active part in smuggling and transportation of arms and explosives in Bombay," the court said. 

Pointing out that the explosive devices could be "manufactured, transported, handled and fitted with a variety of unsuspecting objects multiplying their potential manifold", the court said that "police have a specific and special role, a duty and a responsibility, to curb the conveyance of explosives by vigilant patrolling and search and seizure, if required". 

The court said that "Section 20 of the Arms Act, 1959, empowers them (police) to arrest persons conveying any arms or ammunitions under suspicious circumstances". 

Italy wants special court to try marines in India....

New Delhi: Two Italian marines on bail were back in India after India assured Italy that the death penalty would not apply in their case, Italian Deputy Foreign Minister Staffan de Mistura said here on Friday. 

"The solution was triggered off by an official letter from the Indian authorities Thursday afternoon guaranteeing there will be no death penalty in this case," Mistura told reporters at a news conference after meeting External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid. 

"The death penalty is a serious issue for us. The government should set up a special court and expedite proceedings," he said.

"The marines are at our embassy," he said. 

According to Mistura, the two Italian marines were in international waters when the firing incident - in which two Indian fishermen were killed - took place and were liable to be judged in their own country.

"A potential diplomatic crisis has been avoided," he said. 

Can`t tell if Sachin has played his last Test in India: Gavaskar...

New Delhi: Former captain Sunil Gavaskar today said that he can`t predict whether Sachin Tendulkar has played his last Test on Indian soil in the ongoing fourth and final match against Australia here.

"You never know. From 2006-07, there has been this talk of Tendulkar`s retirement going on. But he has been playing the same way," Gavaskar said.

"Only he (Tendulkar) would know this," he said when asked if Tendulkar has played his last Test on Indian soil at the Feroz Shah Kotla here, considering that the team would mainly play outside the country in the next 12 months.

Gavaskar said Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni would not be unhappy for losing the toss in all the four matches of the Test series against Australia.

"At hindsight, Dhoni would not be complaining. He lost the toss in all the three earlier Tests in the series and today also he lost the toss. But India won all the three matches and so he would not be complaining," Gavaskar was quoted as saying.

He also felt that India were in a good position on the opening day of the final Test here.

"230-odd runs for eight wickets on first day would not be intimidating on India. Because, India have batted well this series; every innings has been an impact innings, be that of Dhoni (in the first match), Pujara (in second) and Shikhar Dhawan in third.

"So, India would not be too worried after the first day`s play," Gavaskar said. 

Ganguly wants India to win home and abroad...

Hyderabad: Having re-established their hegemony in the familiar environs of home with three successive Test wins against Australia, India should strive to once again become a force to reckon with in the alien conditions abroad, feels former captain Sourav Ganguly.

Observing that teams like England and South Africa perform well both at home and abroad, Ganguly hoped India would also become strong enough in all conditions.

"England does well home and away. England won here when they came to India. South Africa does well. Sri Lanka does well. So, we will have to wait and see. It is too early to say. We want India to do well (at) home and away. That`s very important for us.
"That`s what we have done in the last 10 and 11 years. Hopefully, we will become a team which is once again doing well home and overseas. As I said, it is a young team which needed a little bit of time. But, that`s what we want our team to be," Ganguly said.

Ganguly said a 4-0 whitewash of Australia in the ongoing Test series will be a ‘good thing’ for the Indian cricket team after suffering a similar fate Down Under last year.

"See... Don`t expect in cricket. Hopefully, they do it. It will be a good thing for them. Because when they went to Australia last year, it was 0-4 and winning 4-0 here would be a satisfying thing for the team," Ganguly said.

"Having said that, they will have to play well. It is not an easy wicket at the Feroz Shah Kotla. Hopefully, India will play well as they have done in the last three Test matches," he told reporters at a commercial event.

India lead the series 3-0 after convincing wins in Chennai, Hyderabad and Mohali.

Asked whether India would be able to continue their successful run, he said the present side comprised young players who need time to settle down.

"Hopefully... We want Indian cricket to reach that stage. They played well in the series. They also had a tough time in the last 20-22 months. We also have to understand that it is a young team, a lot of young players are coming in, it’s a change which is underway.”

"Our own great V V S Laxman has retired, Rahul Dravid is gone. People like us, Kumble have finished. It is a new team, new players. You will have to allow them to settle down and hopefully, we will get back to Indian cricket as it was a couple of years ago," he said.

Asked how he would rate the teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL), which starts next month, he said T20 cricket is quite unpredictable as different teams have sprang up surprises in the past.

"It is always fun. Playing the IPL and watching it. It is difficult to say who will win in T20. Every year has thrown up a new champion. It`s Knight Riders last year. You got a new side here (Hyderabad), the Sunrisers, I wish them luck.”

They have a good side. Unfortunately, their star Shikhar Dhawan is injured. Hopefully, he recovers. You never know in IPL, who will spring a surprise. Hopefully, we have a good tournament as it has been for the past five years," he said. 

Smith`s wicket was more satisfying: Ashwin....

New Delhi: Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin termed his delivery to dismiss Steven Smith as a more ‘satisfying one’ compared to the one that helped him get rid of Mitchell Johnson on the opening day of the fourth and final Test against Australia here on Friday.

"I believe getting Smith out was more satisfying. In case of Johnson, it was an error of judgement on his part that helped me get his wicket," Ashwin, who had best figures of 4-40 on the day, answered to one of the four questions that were asked to him.

To a query about how different the Kotla strip was in comparison to the Chepauk pitch, he answered with his now customary swagger."That`s red soil and this is black soil!" adding, "It`s always evident that on black soil the ball doesn`t bounce as much as on the red soil."

Asked about the assistance one got from the wicket today, he replied, "If there are spots on the wicket, then one shouldn`t get carried away as margin of error is very less. One shouldn`t try too many things from back of the hand."

In all the Tests so far, the Aussie tail has wagged but Ashwin differed in his stance.

"I don`t think that has been a problem (wiping off the tail). They have batted pretty well. We have to stick to our guns and see what happens. In different scenarios, different teams do well and that era is over when tail-enders would come, slog and get out. Pattison has an average of 30," he answered.

Ashwin`s media interaction, which lasted little less than three minutes, was the shortest in the recent times as he managed to beat Bhuvneshwar Kumar`s press meet on the first day of the Hyderabad Test. Kumar`s conference lasted around five minutes.

Cracking Kotla pitch back in the news....

New Delhi: The pitch at the Feroz Shah Kotla is in the news again. It has shown signs of cracking on day one of the fourth Test between India and Australia. The experts do not see the match lasting the full five days.

Indian spinners got good purchase of the surface Friday with the Australians unable to adjust to the variable bounce. Like they did right through the series, Ravichandran Ashwin, Pragyan Ojha and Ravindra Jadeja kept the Australian batsmen guessing.

Eyebrows were raised when a good length ball from speedster Ishant Sharma rose sharply off the cracks to find the grill of Phil Hughes`s helmet. The incident played on the Australian`s mind and in the same over he played on. 
"At the start of the match, it looked like a three-day wicket to me, but the cracks are opening up already," said Raja.

"It would be too early to predict the nature of the pitch. There are cracks, which will provide good turn to the spinners. We need to wait and see before commenting on its nature." 

The Kotla pitch has been a subject of debate ever since an ODI in 2009 featuring India and Sri Lanka was abandoned as it was deemed "dangerous and unplayable". Following this, Kotla was taken off the international circuit by the ICC and banned for international matches. 

Curator Venkat Sundaram was unavailable for a comment.

India vs Australia Delhi Test, Day 1: Spinners put hosts on top...

New Delhi: India's quest for a historic clean sweep started on a good note as the host spinners continued their dominance over Australia to take the honours on the opening day of the fourth and final cricket Test here on Friday.

SCORECARD» I COMMENTARY» I AS IT HAPPENED»

Australia, sans their injured skipper Michael Clarke, managed 231 for eight at stumps on the first day after opting to bat on a dodgy Feroze Shah Kotla strip.

The visitors' total was given a semblance of respectability by the 53-run eight-wicket partnership between Steven Smith and Peter Siddle followed by an unbroken 43-run ninth-wicket stand between Siddle and James Pattinson.

Phillip Hughes, with a quick fire 45 in the top-order, and Steven Smith, with a patient 46 in the middle-order, were the two major contributors.

The gutsy Siddle (47 batting) also fought hard, adding some crucial runs with Pattinson.

Ravichandran Ashwin (4/40) was the wrecker-in-chief and was ably complemented by Ravindra Jadeja (2/34) and Ishant Sharma (2/35).

If the first day's pitch was any indication, the match is unlikely to go into the fifth day as the considerable wear and tear made life difficult for the Aussie batsmen, majority of whom didn't seem to possess the requisite technique to counter the questions asked by the Jadeja-Ashwin duo.

After Ishant provided a couple of breakthroughs in the opening session, Ashwin and Jadeja ripped through the middle-order in the post-lunch session, helped by some atrocious shot selection on part of the opposition batsmen.

From a relatively secure 94 for two at lunch, the visitors suddenly looked in a hurry and paid dearly for their indiscretion losing wickets in a heap.

Credit should also be given to India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni for rotating his bowlers successfully. He frequently changed the ends from which each one of them operated, thereby making life difficult for the batsmen.

Ed Cowan (37) did all the hard work surviving the dangerous first session playing and missing on a number of occasions. Just when he looked set, Cowan went for a sweep shot and was bowled round his legs.

Leading the side, Shane Watson didn't impress on his Test captaincy debut. Having survived a stumping appeal in the first session, the all-rounder was removed by a typical left-arm spinner's delivery from Ravindra Jadeja.

The delivery pitched on the leg-middle as he drew Watson forward and the stand-in captain was beaten comprehensively while trying to whip the delivery through mid-wicket.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni whipped off the bails in a flash. Watson made 17.

Matthew Wade (2) was caught by the silly point fielder to give Ashwin his second wicket while IPL's newest 'million dollar' man Glenn Maxwell gave Jadeja the charge to offer a simple catch to Ishant at mid-on.

Mitchell Johnson had no clue about Ashwin's carrom ball, failing to offer a stroke thinking that the ball would spin away. To his utter surprise, it spun back sharply to hit the off-stump.

From a relatively decent 106 for two, the Aussies were left gasping for breath at 136 for seven, and the writing was on the wall.

However, Smith and Siddle added 53 runs for the eighth wicket to stem the rot. Smith hit two huge sixes off Pragyan Ojha during his 145-ball innings.

In the morning session, Ishant, who had yesterday spoken about him being more effective with the old ball, decided to prove himself 'wrong' as he got a couple scalps early on. 

For a change, Ishant got a wicket in his very first over
with a fullish delivery outside the off-stump which Warner played away from his body with minimal feet movement.

Virat Kohli, standing at second slip, finally held onto a catch, having missed a couple of chances in Mohali.

While Ishant and his new ball partner Buvneshwar Kumar bowled well in tandem but the track, prepared by curator Venkat Sundaram, also helped their cause to some extent.

Hughes, who found some form going his way during the second inning in Mohali, took the attacking route knowing well that playing a game of survival would be difficult on this track. He hit 10 boundaries in his 59-ball 45.

The left-hander hit some flowing cover drives off both Bhuvneshwar and Ishant. He dispatched a lot of length deliveries to the boundary but somehow never looked set, which was partly due to the nature of the pitch. Even some of the deliveries bowled by Ashwin rose awkwardly and frequently hit the handle of the bat.

In fact, before his dismissal in the 21st over, Ishant softened up Hughes with a delivery that took off from short of a good length spot and hit him flush on the grill of his helmet. The delivery unnerved Hughes big time and two balls later, a delivery that landed on the same spot kept low and the batsman played on.

Cowan and Hughes added 67 runs for the second wicket, which was the lone bright spot in another disappointing show by Australia's top-order.

Brief scores: 

Australia: 231 for eight in 98 overs (Peter Siddle 47 not out, Steven Smith 46, Phil Hughes 45, Ed Cowan 38; Ravichandran Ashwin 4/40, Ravindra Jadeja 2/34, Ishant Sharma 2/35).