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India's young brigade flays Australia in tour match

Rohit Sharma (left) and Virat Kohli

Australia got a taste of the perils that lay ahead on the India tour when the hosts' second string plundered their bowlers in a practice match here on Friday.

The Indian Board President's XI hammered 455 in their first innings before being dismissed shortly before lunch on the second day of the four-day match in this southern city.

It is the final warm-up for Ricky Ponting's tourists before the four-Test series opens in Bangalore next Thursday.

The Australians struggled to contain the runs on a slow, barren pitch so typical of India as the home team's batsmen stroked boundaries freely at the Rajiv Gandhi stadium.

Promising Rohit Sharma, knocking on the Test doors after establishing himself in the one-day team, and India under-19 captain Virat Kohli led the way with identical scores of 105 each on the first day.

Test discard Irfan Pathan struck a fluent 56 while adding 75 for the seventh wicket with Parthiv Patel (62) and 44 for the eighth with Piyush Chawla (23).

The home team, which resumed at the overnight total of 371-6, added another 84 runs on the second morning.

Australia's hopes of finding a suitable spinner for the first Test following a shoulder injury to 36-year-old Bryce McGain were wrecked as fellow debutant Jason Krejza failed to make an impression.

The 25-year-old Tasmanian off-spinner returned wicketless from 20 overs in which he conceded 123 runs.

Left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Johnson was the most impressive bowler with 4-75 while seamer Stuart Clark finished with 3-67.