The second day of the first Test between India and Australia was nothing short of a thriller with excellent performances from players of both the teams.
India were dismissed for 250 off the first delivery of the day’s play. In return, Australia failed to pace their innings well only to lose a flurry of wickets at crucial intervals.
With Travis Head in the middle who scored an unbeaten half-century, the hosts managed to put up a fight, ending the day’s play at 191/7.
Spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was the pick of the Indian bowlers, picking 3 wickets after pace bowler Ishant Sharma ensured the perfect start, dismissing opener Aaron Finch in the first over.
They further enjoyed support from Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami who ensured a disciplined performance with the ball.
India will be looking to dismiss the hosts early on Day 3. Australia, on the other hand, would be optimistic of a similar gritty performance from Head and the rest of the tail-enders.
Here are the highlights:
# Stumps!
# India 191/7 (88 overs)
That’s stumps! Australia trail by 59 runs, but Travis Head is leading the way for the home side on 61 not out.
Scorecard here: https://t.co/lTUqyqRMzW #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/FwI9E8VvLF
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 7, 2018
# Travis Head and Mitchell Starc are looking to play out the remaining overs without taking any unnecessary risks as evident from their defensive gameplay. The Indian bowlers on the other hand, are looking to bowl out the hosts with some aggressive yet consistent bowling. Australia 191/7 (87 overs)
# Mitchell Starc is the next batsman in!
# Wicket! Jasprit Bumrah strikes for India, with an inch-perfect delivery which hit Cummins just above the back leg, trapping him leg before wicket. Australia 177/7 (80.3 overs)
A beauty from Bumrah and Cummins can’t overturn it on review #AUSvIND@SpecsaversAU #SpecsaversCricket pic.twitter.com/q8Kt70lCai
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 7, 2018
# Jasprit Bumrah has taken the new ball with just eight overs left in the day’s play!
# Australia are steadily making a comeback in the clash, following an attacking half-century by rookie Travis Head. Head and Cummins have stitched a 50-run partnership following a mix of aggression and risk-free gameplay in the last few overs. Australia 177/6 (80 overs)
# 50 for Travis Head off 103 deliveries!
FIFTY! In his first Test knock on Aussie soil, Travis Head brings up a half-century from 103 balls at his home ground: https://t.co/lTUqyqRMzW #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/mQxbwK1Dfq
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 7, 2018
# Murali Vijay has been introduced into the attack!
# Head is taking the attack to the Indian bowlers, with boundaries off bad deliveries at a consistent rate. Ashwin has been as impressive as ever, generating turn and bounce off the surface with his suble variations. Australia 166/6 (72 overs)
Save ’em! Super shot from Travis Head.#AUSvIND | @MastercardAU pic.twitter.com/npmeMxfA9A
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 7, 2018
# Travis Head has attempted to accelerate in the last few overs, smashing Ishant Sharma for two boundaries in an over. Pat Cummins, on the other end, is looking to hand as much strike as possible to his partner. Australia 145/6 (67 overs)
# Ishant Sharma has completed 50 Test wickets against Australia, after dismissing Tim Paine.
# Pat Cummins is the next batsman in!
# Wicket! Ishant Sharma strikes for India yet again with a perfectly bowled slower delivery which deceives the Australian skipper into playing on, resulting in an edge to wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant. Australia 127/6 (63 overs)
Quality bowling from Ishant Sharma.
Aussies with plenty of work to do! https://t.co/lTUqyqRMzW #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/KL6NBlsbLK
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 7, 2018
# Australia are in a spot of bother following the dismissal of Peter Handscomb who had settled down and seemed set for a big score. Bumrah has constantly challenged the batsmen with different variations in his deliveries, leaving them unsettled. Australia 125/5 (61 overs)
#TeamIndia should make the most of this situation and not lose their grip. The defensive mindset by the Australian batsmen at home is something I’ve not seen before in my experience. @ashwinravi99 has been very effective and has played a role to help the team be on top, for now.
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) December 7, 2018
# Australian skipper Tim Paine is the new batsman in!
# Wicket! Jasprit Bumrah strikes for India with a fast, bouncing delivery which Handscomb fails to direct effectively, handing a catch to wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant. India have got a much-needed wicket! Australia 120/5 (57.3 overs)
# The final session is all set to start!
# Australia’s run-rate in the first innings has been close to the two runs per over mark which indicates the dominance of the Indian bowling attack. Ravichandran Ashwin has been the man to watch out for, picking three wickets. Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah have also been economical at the other end.
# The game will carry on after a tea break!
# Ravichandran Ashwin has been constantly bowling flighted, turning deliveries from one end while Mohammed Shami is ensuring inch-perfect deliveries bowled at a great pace from the other end. However, a wicket continues to elude them. India 117/4 (55 overs)
# Mohammed Shami has been brought into the attack!
# Ravichandran Ashwin is looking to toss up his deliveries and generating considerable turn from outside off which very nearly resulted in a wicket. Ishant Sharma, the new bowler in continues to keep the batsmen on their toes with accurate and swinging deliveries. Australia 102/4 (49 overs)
# Australia are on the backfoot as Travis Head and Peter Handscomb struggle to negotiate Ravichandran Ashwin’s subtle variations in line and length. Bumrah continues to make his presence felt with swinging deliveries bowled at a steady pace. Australia 88/4 (43 overs)
# Australia 88/4 (42 overs); trail by 162 runs!
# Drinks!
# Travis Head walks down to the crease!
# Wicket! Third wicket for Ravichandran Ashwin who accounts for opener Usman Khawaja who seemed to be in good nick following a successful review! Ashwin bowled a slightly slower delivery which bounced awkwardly, inducing an edge to wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant. Australia 87/4 (39.3 overs)
India go upstairs and Khawaja is on his way #AUSvIND@SpecsaversAU #SpecsaversCricket pic.twitter.com/3l9wkzfVF1
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 7, 2018
# Usman Khawaja and Peter Handscomb are looking to rebuild the Australian innings with risk-free gameplay and a defensive mentality in the shot selection clearly evident. Ashwin and Shami have kept things tight with slight variations in the deliveries in order to catch the batsmen unawares. Australia 85/3 (38 overs)
# Mohammed Shami is back in the attack!
# Ishant Sharma, introduced to the attack in place of Jasprit Bumrah, has been bowling all his deliveries at a steady pace with deceptive variations in line and length. Ashwin has been bowling shorter and flatter deliveries while looking to generate a bit of zip. Khawaja has been the man to watch out for, with excellent footwork against the turning deliveries. Australia 65/3 (32 overs)
# Peter Handscomb is the new man in!
# Wicket! Ravichandran Ashwin has struck yet again for India off a wide delivery which Shaun Marsh attempts to smash for a boundary. However, an inside edge goes on to hit the stumps resulting in an unlucky dismissal. Australian 59/3 (28 overs)
Ashwin with the breakthrough after lunch and SMarsh has to go.
Live coverage HERE: https://t.co/lTUqyqRMzW #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/BYFnZKoDWn
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 7, 2018
# Play resumes!
# Lunch!
# Shaun Marsh and Usman Khawaja are playing all their strokes down the ground without indulging in unnecessary risks against Ashwin and Bumrah. Bumrah continues to generate impressive pace and bounce with a consistent line and length at the same time. Ashwin has been disciplined so far, with slow, drifting deliveries. Australia 57/2 (27 overs)
# Marsh has scored 139 runs in 373 balls against Ravichandran Ashwin with the off-spinner dismissing him four times!
# Shaun Marsh is the next batsman for Australia!
# Wicket! Ashwin has finally got his man as Marcus Harris hands a catch to Murali Vijay off a turning delivery which drifts into the batsman. Australia have lost their second wicket. Australia 45/2 (21.1 overs)
# Bumrah is generating quality pace and bounce but has been unsuccessful in forcing the batsmen into any false shot so far. Ashwin on the other hand, is attempting to bowl his deliveries at a quicker pace on a pitch which is steadily becoming easier to bat on! Australia 45/1 (21 overs)
# Jasprit Bumrah has been brought back into the attack!
# Shami is generating quality swing and looking to force the batsmen into playing a false shot by bowling his deliveries at a tempting length. Ashwin on the other hand, is attempting to bowl slow deliveries which angle back into the batsmen, cramping them for room! Australia 36/1 (16 overs)
# Ravichandran Ashwin is the new man in the bowling attack and will be looking to make amends for his poor show in Australia on previous tours!
# Mohammed Shami has been brought into the attack by skipper Virat Kohli, with two slips and a gully in place!
# Bumrah and Sharma have ensured a steady flow of deliveries bowled at a lethal pace with emphasis on line and length at the same time. However, a wicket continues to elude them. The two Australian batsmen are growing in confidence after being extremely uncertain early on. Australia 30/1 (10 overs)
# Khawaja has been dismissed around the wicket seven times by pace bowlers since the Ashes last year! This certainly explains why both the bowlers are looking to consistently bowl around the wicket!
# Ishant Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah at the other end, have been excellent to say the least. The deliveries are being consistently bowled at a rapid pace with a nagging line and length maintained constantly. The openers certainly seem unsettled as they struggle to score freely. Khawaja is struggling with all the deliveries being bowled around the wicket to him! Australia 11/1 (5 overs)
# Usman Khawaja is the new man in!
# Wicket! Aaron Finch has been bowled by Ishant Sharma off the third delivery of the first over. Finch failed to negotiate a swinging delivery bowled by Sharma, resulting in a poor start for Australia! Australia 0/1(0.3 overs)
Not the start Australia wanted, but what a photo! #AUSvIND
: AAP | David Mariuz pic.twitter.com/0NvGXYXRRo
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 7, 2018
# Australian openers Aaron Finch and Marcus Harris are all set to kick off the Australian innings!
# India have been dismissed for 250!
Sit back and enjoy all 10 wickets from the first innings! #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/7ZVjFqCE8d
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 7, 2018
# Wicket! Mohammed Shami has been dismissed off the very first delivery of the first over on day two. Shami attempted to go for a shot, but managed nothing short of a thick edge to wicketkeeper Tim Paine off a Josh Hazlewood delivery! India 250/10 (88 overs)
# Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah have walked down to the crease!
# The day’s play is all set to get underway!
# The little master shares his opinion on the clash!
The game is wide open at this stage. The way the new ball is used in Australia in the first 15-20 overs is extremely crucial and could very well have an impact on which way this Test could go. #INDvAUS
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) December 6, 2018
# Are Shastri and Ashwin plotting Australia’s downfall?
Eyeing areas you reckon #TeamIndia #AUSvsIND pic.twitter.com/bo4IC4vNx9
— BCCI (@BCCI) December 6, 2018
# Sensational catch by Usman Khawaja to dismiss Kohli on day one!
Mitchell Starc is pretty confident he’ll be hearing PLENTY more about Usman Khawaja’s catch and Pat Cummins’ run out! #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/4Cz65tJoa6
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 6, 2018
India registered a score of 250 runs for the loss of nine wickets at stumps on day one of the first Test against Australia on Thursday.
This was largely possible due to a 246 ball 123 by Cheteshwar Pujara who delivered a stunning performance.
Pujara initially enjoyed the support of Rohit Sharma who seemed to be in good nick. However, the latter perished when India seemed set to dominate the clash following a poor shot off a Nathan Lyon delivery.
Pujara never lost hope, stitching vital partnerships with the likes of Rishabh Pant and Ravichandran Ashwin. The batsman kept battling it out despite their dismissals, registering a well-deserved hundred.
India will be looking to deliver a good performance with the ball, after posting a respectable total on the board.
Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Nathon Lyon picked two wickets apiece for the hosts in a sensational show with the ball.
Matchday Lineups:
Australia XI: Marcus Harris, Aaron Finch, Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Peter Handscomb, Travis Head, Tim Paine (c,wk), Pat Cummins, Mitch Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.
India XI: KL Rahul, Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma.
Source: Zee News