ADELAIDE: With one more dominating day of play, Australia inched closer to another Pink-ball Test victory, as India ended Day 2 at 128/5, trailing by 29 runs and staring at an uphill task at Adelaide.
The Australian seamers dominated the second day’s play in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after a solid and agressive show by the batters led by centurion Travis Head (140).
Australia was bowled out for 337, with India’s Mohammed Siraj claiming the last two wickets. Siraj dismissed Mitchell Starc for 18 and Scott Boland for a duck, finishing with figures of 4/98. Jasprit Bumrah was the standout bowler for India, taking 4/61, while Nitish Kumar Reddy and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin each took one wicket.
India, trailing by 157 runs, began their innings on the back foot. KL Rahul was the first to fall, dismissed for 7 by Australian captain Pat Cummins. Last match’s hero, Yashasvi Jaiswal, played some elegant shots but was caught behind for 24 off a superb delivery from Scott Boland.
Star batter Virat Kohli managed to score only 11 before being caught behind off another excellent ball from Boland, leaving India at 66/3. Shubman Gill looked comfortable but was bowled by a special delivery from Mitchell Starc for 28, reducing India to 86/4.
India reached 100 runs in 18.4 overs. Captain Rohit Sharma was earlier dismissed for a duck but was saved by a no-ball from Starc. However, he could only manage 6 runs before being bowled by Cummins.
Rishabh Pant remains unbeaten at the crease, playing some unconventional shots and scoring 28 off 25 deliveries, including five boundaries. He is joined by Nitish Kumar Reddy, who made an important 42 in the first innings and is currently unbeaten on 15. These two young players will aim to surpass Australia’s lead, with India still 29 runs behind.
Pat Cummins and Scott Boland have each taken two wickets, while Mitchell Starc claimed the crucial wicket of Shubhman Gill, who was looking in good touch.
Earlier, Travis Head came in clutch, continuing his golden run against India with an incredible century against the visitors at the end of second session of second Test.
At Tea, Australia were at 332/8, with Mitchell Starc (18*) unbeaten. Head increased lead over India to 152 runs with a brilliant knock of 140, slamming yet another big score against India.
Australia started the second session at 191/4, with Travis Head (53*) and Mitchell Marsh (2*) unbeaten. Aussies were leading by 11 runs.
Australia reached the 200-run mark thanks to a single from Marsh in 61.3 overs.
Spinner Ravichandran Ashwin struck early for India in the session, with Marsh getting caught behind by Rishabh Pant for just nine runs in 26 balls. The snickometer showed a flatline, with ball missing the outside-edge and bat flicking the pad. However, the decision went in India’s way. Australia was 208/5 in 63.4 overs.
Alex Carey joined Head on the crease, who was very carefully counter-attacking the Indian bowlers with his ability to find gaps.
Head was hitting boundaries regularly against pacers, particularly young and inexperienced Harshit Rana.Head continued his brilliant run against India. The nemesis of Men in Blue during ICC World Test Championship and 50-over World Cup final at home delivered during the pink-ball Tests too, with a century coming in 111 balls, with 10 fours and three sixes.
In the next over, he smashed Harshit for three fours.The partnership was broken by Siraj, who removed Carey for a 32-ball 15 after he was caught behind by Pant. Australia was 282/6 in 77 overs.
Head continued to pummel Indian bowlers, with Aussies reaching 300-run mark in 80.5 overs.
However, Siraj delivered when it mattered the most, castling Head’s stump and removing him for 140 in 141 balls, with 17 fours and four sixes. Australia was 310/7 in 81.4 overs.
Skipper Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc tried to intimidate Indian bowlers with some aggressive hits, but Bumrah got his fourth wicket by cleaning up Cummins for just 12 runs. Australia was 332/8 in 85 overs.
Earlier, at end of session one, Australia were 191/4, with Travis Head (53*) and Mitchell Marsh (2*) unbeaten on the crease at the end of the first session of the day at the match being played at Adelaide. The hosts lead by 11 runs.
Australia started day two on 86/1 and Nathan McSweeney and Marnus Labuschagne at the crease.
The Aussies added 105 runs in the first session of day two as Labuschagne and Head played swashbuckling knocks. Jasprit Bumrah-led Indian bowling attack picked up three wickets on Saturday.
Jasprit Bumrah made the first breakthrough of the session as he removed Nathan McSweeney from the crease for 39 runs in the 37th over. It was crucial for the Indian side as the opener had settled on the crease.
Steven Smith replaced McSweeney but failed to make a mark and continued his poor form. Bumrah struck in the 41st over removing Smith for just two runs.Head replaced Smith and started cementing a crucial partnership with Marnus Labuschange. Australia crossed the 150-run mark in the 51st over after facing 307 balls.
Nitish Kumar Reddy finally found a crucial breakthrough in the 55th over, when he removed the dangerous-looking Labuschange from the crease for 64 runs.
Labuschange’s wicket did not put Australia on the backfoot as Head continued to add runs along with Mitchell Marsh. Bumrah bagged three wickets in his 15-over spell and gave away 23 runs. Nitish Kumar Reddy managed to pick one wicket.
Mohammed Siraj and Harshit Rana were costly in the first session of the Day 2.
The Indian bowling attack looked for early breakthroughs in the second session to make a comeback in the Adelaide Test.
In the third and final session of the first day of the pink-ball Test started with Australian openers Usman Khawaja and McSweeney on the crease. Both batters put on a partnership of 24 runs before Khawaja was sent back to the pavillion on the bowling of right-arm seamer Jasprit Bumrah in the 11th over of the inning. The left-hand batter went back to the dressing room after scoring 13 runs in 35 balls which came with the help of two fours in his innings.
Following Khawaja’s dismissal, right-hand batter Marnus Labuschagne came out in the middle to bat along with McSweeney.
The hosts completed the 50-run mark in the 21st over as the opener slammed a boundary on the bowling of right-arm seamer Mohammed Siraj.
McSweeney and Labuschange completed their 50-run partnership in the 26th over as Sweeney smashed a boundary on the bowling of right-arm pacer Harshit Rana.
At the end of play on Day 1, both batters made an unbeaten partnership of 62 runs off 133 balls. For the visitors, one wicket was snapped by Bumrah where he conceded just 13 runs in his spell of 11 overs where he bowled four maiden overs too.
Earlier, India ended their innings at 180 with the help of Nitish Reddy (42) and KL Rahul’s (37) crucial knocks on Day 1. Shubman Gill (31) and Ravichandran Ashwin (22) also assisted Nitish and Rahul to take the tourists to a better place.Top players like Yashasvi Jaiswal (0), Virat Kohli (7) and Rohit Sharma (3) failed to make a partnership in the first inning, which put India in a difficult position.
Mitchell Starc led the Australian bowling attack in the first innings after he picked up six wickets in his 15-over spell. Pat Cummins and Scott Boland bagged two wickets each in their respective spells. (ANI)