North's career-best 128 was the cornerstone of the
Australian first innings which folded for 478 at tea on day two, but not before
their lower half had added 193 runs to their overnight score of 285 for five
wickets.
In reply, India made a feeble start, losing the explosive
Virender Sehwag (30) and bail out specialist Rahul Dravid (one) in quick
succession.
Tendulkar remained unbeaten on 44 with opener Murali
Vijay (42) at the other end with India still trailing Australia by 350 runs.
"It's going to be extremely important tomorrow that
we have a very big partnership," Tendulkar told Neo Cricket channel after
the second day's play which ended with India on 128-2.
"A couple of partnerships will bring us back in the
game and put us in a decent position. Right now it's one of those challenging
phases." Playing his 171st Test, Tendulkar became the first batsman to
amass 14,000 Test runs in the 27th over of the Indian innings, hitting
off-spinner Nathan Hauritz for a boundary.
Earlier, North's 149-run sixth wicket stand with fellow
overnight batsman Tim Paine (59) defied the Indian bowlers in the morning
session and took the visitors past the 400-run mark.
North mixed caution with occasional aggression,
slog-sweeping Pragyan Ojha for the first six of the innings before retreating
into his defensive shell.
Paine's was a more eventful knock in which he was caught
behind off a Shanthakumaran Sreesanth no ball and was dropped by Suresh Raina
off Ojha before the left-arm spinner returned to settle the score.
North completed his fifth Test century in the next over
and eventually fell to Harbhajan Singh after a resolute 240-ball knock with 17
boundaries and a six in it.
"I got a start last night, so I needed a big
score," North said.
"It's a very good batting wicket, so it will be nice
to get a couple of early wickets tomorrow. They have got a partnership in Vijay
and Sachin but we will come out very hard tomorrow." Australia trail the
two-match series 1-0.
