Hussey warns of variable bounce

The century-maker Michael Hussey has spent more time on the Chinnaswamy Stadium pitch than anyone in this match and he believes it will become increasingly difficult to conquer the tricky surface. Hussey's 146, built on the excellent hundred of Ricky Ponting the previous day, allowed Australia to reach a satisfying total of 430.

"It's particularly special to get a Test hundred in India," Hussey said. "It's arguably the toughest place to play for an Australian. To get a hundred and put the team in a good position is very, very rewarding."

Hussey was playing his first Test in India and he excelled on a cracking pitch that offered variable bounce. "It is a great place to bat," he said. "It suits my style, to be patient.

"You get great rewards for your shots. The outfields are so short here you just have to place the ball. It's been a good start, but it's a long series."

Zaheer Khan's wicked reverse-swing eventually broke through Hussey's previously impregnable defence and one of the few other moments of trouble came when he inside-edged Ishant Sharma to bring up his century.

"It was a relief it didn't go back on the stumps," he said. "Then it was just pure excitement. It was a lot of hard work, I was pretty tired. It was just a big relief to get to three figures."

Hussey warned the conditions will deteriorate over the remainder of the match. "You never really feel in," he said of the pitch. "There's just enough variable bounce to keep all the bowlers interested, particularly the fast bowlers."

Australia's fast bowlers appeared to waste the new ball as India raced to 68 for 0 in the 18.1 overs before the rain came. "It would have been nice to pick up a couple of wickets, but they played well and we created a few chances," Hussey said. "Maybe the luck will go our way tomorrow. We've just got to really stay patient, bowl in partnerships and build pressure from both ends."