Honours were even after day one of the second Test in Bangalore as Ricky Ponting and Shane Watson both scored half-centuries to leave Australia on 285-5 (Australia 4/6 to win Ashes).

Needing to beat India to share the series, Ponting elected to bat first and saw his openers add 99 before Simon Katich fell for 43.

Watson’s incredible run continued but he eventually fell for 57, having hit nine fours in his 88-ball innings, before Michael Clarke was dismissed for 14 to leave the tourists rocking at 132-3.

Mike Hussey was next to go for a rapid 34, meaning a number of the top six failed to go on and get a big score after making a decent start.

Ponting was dismissed for 77 just 10 overs before light brought play to a premature close and Marcus North will resume on 43 on day two, with wicket-keeper Tim Paine unbeaten on eight.

Harbhajan Singh took 2-100, while Zaheer Khan and PP Ojha claimed one scalp each, but the prize wicket of Ponting went to batsman Suresh Raina, who trapped the captain lbw to take his first Test wicket.

Australia will look to North and Paine to try and get the total somewhere near 400 on day two, given the fact they went past 400 in the first Test and still lost to MS Dhoni’s men.

The match in Bangalore is the Aussies’ final Test before they face Andrew Strauss’s side in the Ashes and Ponting will be desperate to force a victory and go into the Brisbane encounter full of confidence that they can wrest the famous urn back from the old enemy at the first time of asking (Australia 20/1 to win Ashes 5-0).