ACT Invitational XI 0 for 10 trail Indians 9 for 325 dec (Jaffer 92, Dravid 62) by 315 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

	Wasim Jaffer and Rahul Dravid helped themselves to half-centuries © AFP

In what was truly a batsman's paradise, the Indians were kept down to 9 for 325 declared on the first day of their warm-up match against an ACT Invitational XI in Canberra. A couple of batsmen managed half-centuries but none went on to a big score against an attack that was club-standard.

Wasim Jaffer and Rahul Dravid reached half-centuries but Indians will worry about three batsmen who squandered this chance. Virender Sehwag struggled before falling to a sensational catch, Dinesh Karthik flowed before throwing it away, and Yuvraj continued to sleepwalk through the series. The fact that they failed against a mostly unthreatening attack is the biggest worry.

Jaffer, who came into this game with 22 runs in four innings, wasn't at his controlled best and endured a few edgy moments. On a greenish pitch offering tennis-ball bounce early on, Jaffer and Sehwag took some time to come to terms with a wayward attack and a sluggish outfield.

Jaffer set things off with a fine pull off left-armer, Ash Perera, that sailed over square leg for six before cover drives dripped off his bat. He went to his fifty with another six, an upper-cut over point off seamer Richard Sherlock, which gave him as many sixes in this match as he has in his Test career. He edged twice but saw the ball elude the slip fielders. The slow outfield meant he had to settle for a number of twos but he did thrill with eight fours, all struck with authority. He fell when a hundred was in sight, holing out to long-on while trying to smash left-arm spinner Mark Higgs out of the ground.

Sehwag, in his first dig on tour, took some time to find his feet and was lucky to be reprieved on 7. Going for the third run, he fell short of the crease by a few inches but the square-leg umpire wasn't convinced. There wasn't any third umpire to refer the decision to anyway. He managed only one four in his 49-ball stay, a slap through covers, and fell to a wild swish outside off. Higgs, the captain, flung himself to the right and plucked a sensational one-handed catch in mid-air. This isn't a first-class match, considering it was 12-a-side, but Higgs' effort could easily win a classic catches contest.

Karthik, who kept wicket later in the day, crunched a few confident shots during his 39-ball 25 before throwing it away with a hasty pull off seamer Luke Swards. He wasn't in control of the shot, prompting a hack to joke that he was actually trying to swat some irritating flies. Yuvraj slashed aimlessly but Dravid, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, leading in this game, and Irfan Pathan pushed the rate along.

Dravid didn't have much of a problem reaching 62, making the most of some lollypop offerings from legspinner Ryan Bulger, who was offering one full toss every few balls. His best shot was the one that took him to fifty, standing upright and pulling Perera in front of square.

The tail was intent on quick runs and the declaration came with four overs to go in the day. Chris Rogers and Ed Cowan negotiated the final period without much alarm and went in at stumps at 10 for no loss. All eyes will be on Rogers tomorrow. Australia have announced an unchanged squad for the third Test in Perth but Rogers, a Perth local, could well get a chance if Matthew Hayden doesn't recover from a hamstring injury.