Australia continued their dominance in the second session of day two in the Boxing Day Test at the MCG. After racking up 474, skipper Pat Cummins led from the front with the ball and reduced India to 51/2 at Tea.
Australia smashed 143 runs in 27 overs in the first session but they could add only 20 runs before being bowled out early in the second session. Ravindra Jadeja knocked over Mitchell Starc on the third ball of the session.
Steve Smith fell in the very next over. He got an inside edge which went onto his pad before rolling back onto the stumps. Akash Deep was the one who picked up the wicket.
Nathan Lyon and Scott Boland frustrated India for more than eight overs. The No. 10 and 11 added 19 runs but batted for 51 balls. It forced India to bring back Jasprit Bumrah who eventually took the final wicket as he got Lyon LBW.
Rohit’s poor form continues
In reply, India lost Rohit Sharma very early. The Indian skipper who returned to the top of the order was caught in no-man’s land as he awkwardly tried to pull a length delivery off Pat Cummins. Rohit got a top-edge which was caught at mid-on and he departed for 3 in the second over. His dismal run continued. His run tally comes up to a mere 22 runs in four innings in this series. In fact, he has made just 155 runs in his last 14 innings in Test cricket.
That brought KL Rahul to the crease and he continued his excellent form. Alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rahul helped India resurrect the innings a bit. The duo batted confidently and kept the scoreboard ticking. Both batters drove well and didn’t miss out on scoring opportunities.
After a few low scores, Jaiswal was looking in much better touch compared to his last few knocks. The Jaiswal-Rahul pair added 43 runs and were looking solid. Just when it looked like the duo would take India safely to Tea, Cummins bowled a beauty to knock over Rahul on the last ball before Tea.
The Australian captain got one to move away and hit Rahul’s off-stump. The Karnataka batter was looking in excellent touch once again but he fell for 24.
Australia now have a big opening. Jaiswal has looked good but India’s No. 4 and 5 have been iffy. Virat Kohli hasn’t looked at his best apart from that second innings ton in Perth. Rishabh Pant has had a quiet series as well with a highest of 37. Plus, the pure batters end at 5 with three all-rounders to follow.
Thus, India have a steep task ahead of them. Australia have their tail up and are calling the shots in the game.
BRIEF SCORES: Australia 474 (Steve Smith 140, Marnus Labuschagne 72, Sam Konstas 60, Jasprit Bumrah 4/99, Ravindra Jadeja 3/78, Akash Deep 2/94) vs India 51/2 (KL Rahul 24, Yashasvi Jaiswal 23*, Pat Cummins 2/27).
