Sachin approaches double ton

FORTY-NINE NOT OUT: India's batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar spreads his arms to salute the crowd on reaching his 49th hundred on the third day of the second Test against Australia at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore yesterday. Sachin was still at the crease with 191 when the stumps were drawn for the day.Photo: AFP

Sachin Tendulkar smashed his 49th Test century and Murali Vijay his first as India matched Australia's batting prowess in the second and final Test on Monday.
Australia managed just three wickets as the hosts took their overnight score of 128-2 to 435-5 by stumps on the third day at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore.
India, who lead 1-0 in the short series after winning the first Test in Mohali by one wicket, are 43 runs away from Australia's 478 with five wickets in hand.
Tendulkar finished the day unbeaten on a monumental 191 and opener Vijay scored 139 during a record stand of 308 runs for the third wicket -- a remarkable recovery from 38-2 in Sunday's last session.
It was the highest third-wicket partnership in India-Australia Tests, surpassing the 222-run stand between Aussies Allan Border and Kim Hughes in Chennai in 1979.
Tendulkar, the world's leading batsman who also has a record 46 one-day hundreds against his name, slammed 19 boundaries and two sixes in his seven-hour vigil at the crease.
The Mumbai-born batsman, who started the day on 44 and was stuck in the eighties for almost 45 minutes, reached his century by smashing off-spinner Nathan Hauritz for two sixes over long-on.
Vijay, playing the Test only because Gautam Gambhir was ruled out with a knee injury, languished for an hour in the nineties before reaching his maiden hundred with a single midway through the afternoon session.
The opener, who was reprimanded by match referee Chris Broad for breaching the players' code of conduct for sporting several advertising logos on his batting pads, hit 14 fours and two sixes.
Australia went wicketless in the first two sessions before they struck twice in one over from fast bowler Mitchell Johnson soon after the tea interval.
Johnson had Murali edging a catch to wicketkeeper Tim Paine, before he trapped debutant Cheteshwar Pujara leg-before with a ball that kept alarmingly low.
Suresh Raina (32) put on 61 for the fifth wicket with Tendulkar when he drove Michael Clarke to mid-on where Ben Hilfenhaus took a low catch.
Tendulkar reached his 58th Test half-century in the day's first over with two pedal-sweep boundaries off Hauritz.
At the other end, Vijay drove Johnson through the covers to bring up the 100-run partnership with Tendulkar.
Vijay survived an anxious moment when he was on 49 as he charged down the wicket, but a direct throw from Hauritz narrowly missed the stumps.
Tendulkar was severe on Johnson, flicking him to fine-leg before pulling the next ball for another boundary.
The duo scored 60 runs from 14 overs in the first hour, but an accurate spell from debutant fast bowler Peter George after the drinks break slowed down the run-rate.
The lanky South Australian, who conceded 18 runs in five overs late on Sunday, gave away only 12 runs in his five overs in the morning session.
Hauritz was the most expensive Australian bowler with 0-153 from 39 unsuccessful overs, while Johnson took 3-89 from 23 overs.
SCORES IN BRIEF
AUSTRALIA: First innings 478 (Watson 57, Katich 43, Ponting 77, Hussey 34, North 128, Paine 59; Ojha 3-120, Harbhajan 4-148)
INDIA: First innings 435 for 5 (Vijay 139, Sehwag 30, Tendulkar 191 not out, Raina 32, Dhoni 11 not out; Johnson 3-89)