PUNE, India: Left-arm spinner Steve O’Keefe claimed five wickets including the prized scalp of Virat Kohli as Australia beaten-up Indian by 333 runs in first Test match played at Pune on Saturday.
Chasing a daunting target of 441, India were tottering at 99 for six at tea on day three. Cheteshwar Pujara was batting on 31 after Wriddhiman Saha fell to O’Keefe just at the break.
O’Keefe and fellow spinner Nathan Lyon struck early, removing openers Murali Vijay and Lokesh Rahul, to dent the hosts’ chase.
Both Vijay and Rahul reviewed their lbw decisions as Australia lost their two DRS calls.
A wily O’Keefe then got the big wicket and bowled star batsman Kohli for 13, stunning the crowd into silence.
It was a rare failure for Kohli, who was out for a duck in the first innings, after scoring double hundreds in four successive series’ since July.
Earlier Australian skipper Steve Smith struck his first century on Indian soil before the visitors were bowled out for 285 in an extended morning session.
Smith made 109 to compound India’s miseries after O’Keefe claimed his career-best 6-35 on Friday to skittle out the hosts for 105 in their first innings.
