Tag: India vs Australia second Test

NEW DELHI: Spinner Nathan Lyon’s five wickets and a breezy start by the batsmen gave Australia the upper hand in the second Test against India despite a counter-attacking 74 by Axar Patel on an intense second day.

India were all out for 262 after a key 114-run eighth-wicket fightback by Axar and Ravichandran Ashwin, leaving the tourists a lead of one run in New Delhi.

Australia raced to 61 for one at stumps after Ravindra Jadeja dismissed Usman Khawaja for six after a reverse sweep flew straight to leg slip.

Travis Head, on 39 with five fours and one six, and Marnus Labuschagne, on 16, were batting at the close of play with Australia leading by 62 runs in their second innings.

“We need to stop Australia to around 220-250 and I think that will be a gettable target on this pitch if we bat on day four,” Axar, a left-hand batsman and a spinner, told reporters.

“Bowlers will have to be patient and work on getting wickets, bowl in good areas even when the batsmen are scoring runs,” he added.

“In the last session they played aggressively and we noticed that.”

Number eight Axar stood out for India with his second successive Test half-century as he took on the opposition bowlers with nine fours and three sixes.

Ashwin played the anchor in his 37 before he fell to Pat Cummins, who struck with the second new ball to get the batsman caught at square leg by Matt Renshaw, a concussion substitute for David Warner.

Cummins took a stunner at mid on to end Axar’s brave knock off Todd Murphy and fellow spinner Matthew Kuhnemann ended the Indian innings in the final session.

Lyon led Australia’s charge with four wickets to rattle India in the morning and then claimed his 22nd Test five-for in an afternoon session that saw a controversial dismissal of Virat Kohli on 44.

“Today was an amazing challenge against some world-class superstars. Happy with the way I came out and the role I played,” said Lyon, who became the first Australian bowler to take 100 Test wickets against India.

Kohli was given out lbw by the on-field umpire off debutant Kuhnemann and a review declared it too close to judge whether the ball hit the bat or pad first, before tracking suggested it was hitting leg stump.

Third umpire Richard Illingworth upheld the decision, much to the surprise of Kohli, who went back dejected and was seen animated while watching replays in the pavilion.

Kohli had resisted the Australian spinners until his departure and put on a key fifth-wicket stand with the left-handed Jadeja, who fell to Murphy for 26.

But Axar seemed unfazed by the decision and India’s dire position as he took stock and then hit back with a four and six off Kuhnemann.

He kept up the attack after tea and reached his fifty with a six, ably supported by Ashwin.

The tourists overcame an early blow when a concussion ruled opener Warner out of the match following a hit on the head in his day one knock of 15.

Lyon struck twice in the space of three deliveries with Rohit Sharma bowled for 32 and Cheteshwar Pujara out lbw for a duck in the batsman’s landmark 100th Test.

NEW DELHI: Gritty half-centuries from Usman Khawaja and Peter Handscomb guided Australia to a fighting 263 all out against inspired Indian bowlers on Friday’s opening day of the second Test.

India reached 21 for no loss at stumps with the hosts still trailing Australia by 242 runs here. Skipper Rohit Sharma, on 13, and KL Rahul, on four, were batting.

Australia worked with spin right from the second over with debutant Matthew Kuhnemann and Nathan Lyon bowling six overs between them.

Handscomb (72 not out) and Khawaja (81) played key knocks to boost Australia’s total after the tourists, who lost the opener of the four-match series inside three days, again elected to bat on another turning track.

Fast bowler Mohammed Shami took four wickets while spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja had three each.

“It is always challenging when you have quality bowlers like Ashwin and Jadeja, it is always tough work,” Khawaja told broadcaster Star Sports after the day’s play.

Australia’s 263 was “very competitive, it’s not easy out there,” he added. “There are few cracks. I think tomorrow will tell the tale which way this game is going.”

Shami wrapped up the Australian innings in the final session as he bowled Kuhnemann for six.

Khawaja’s knock came to an end before tea, with a stunning one-handed catch from KL Rahul giving left-arm spinner Jadeja his 250th Test wicket.

Rahul dived full stretch to his right to grab the ball on a reverse sweep from Khawaja, who fell to his knees in absolute disbelief.

Handscomb and Khawaja had put on 59 crucial runs in the second session before the latter’s departure.

But Handscomb kept up the grind and reached his fifth Test half-century in an eighth-wicket stand with skipper Pat Cummins, who made 33 before being trapped lbw by Jadeja.

Earlier Ashwin dismissed wicketkeeper Alex Carey for a duck for his third wicket of the day as India once again called the shots after a mini Australia fightback.

The off-spinner struck twice in one over before lunch including Marnus Labuschagne, for 18, and Steve Smith, for a duck, to put the tourists in trouble.

David Warner, who scored one and 10 in Nagpur in the first Test, was the first to go after taking 21 balls to score the first runs of his innings.

He had faced a barrage of short balls by seamer Mohammed Siraj and took a couple of blows, on the elbow and the back of the helmet.

Just when it looked like the left-handed opener had settled in, Shami produced a peach of a delivery that pitched and held its line from around the wicket, with the keeper taking the edge behind.

Warner did not come out to field and Khawaja said his fellow opener felt “weary” after the hit on the head.

“The medical staff will have to figure out what happens from here on in,” he added.

Shami said India’s fast bowlers knew the conditions well and the pitch was not necessarily suited for spinners.

“We get drilled into our heads that Indian pitches are slow and not for fast bowlers,” he said.

“It’s a good weapon if the short ball is used. Bouncer is a good option.”

Test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara was presented with a special cap on his landmark 100th match and entered the field through a corridor created by the players.

The hosts haven’t lost a Test at the venue — previously called Feroz Shah Kotla — since 1987.

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