Finance
After a fast-paced opening day in which 17 wickets fell in 76.4 overs, many expected day two of the first Test to go the same way. However, with the pitch flattening out, Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul led India’s amazing comeback to close day two with a 218-run lead at Perth Stadium on Saturday.
The heavy roller was deployed before day two of play, and after Australia’s first innings concluded on 104, India took a comfortable 46-run lead, the pitch softened out under the blazing sun. That made life easier for Jaiswal and Rahul, who finished Day 2 not out on 90 and 62 respectively, as the two have now put India in a potential winning position, with their second innings score standing at 172/0 in 57 overs.
Jaiswal, playing his first Test in Australia, came off a duck in the first innings, but showed balanced composure and aggression to be in complete control of hitting seven fours and two sixes. On the other hand, Rahul was calmness and solidity personified to hit four boundaries as he and Jaiswal batted two whole sessions unscathed for India to dominate day two’s play, where just three wickets fell in 81.2 overs.
In the final session, Australia grew tiresome – Pat Cummins resorted to a brief short-ball ploy, while Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood beat the bat relentlessly and bowled some unplayable deliveries. Some overs were given to Nathan Lyon, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh and Marnus Labuschagne, but none could separate Jaiswal and Rahul, who amassed 22 runs in the first 17 overs of the session.
There was luck on India’s side – Jaiswal hit a drive away from his body off Starc, but Usman Khawaja couldn’t get low enough in time to take the chance at first slip. In the next over, Rahul was sent back by Jaiswal after coming halfway down the pitch, and was back to his crease in time, thus avoiding a run-out.
Amidst this, Jaiswal began his ninth fifteen Tests with a drive to sweeper cover off Lyon, before hammering Marsh past point for four and flicking Starc for a superbly timed six. Rahul hit Starc’s half-volley through point for four before raising his bat for a strong fifty off 124 balls.
After scything Cummins through the gap between second and third slip for four, Jaiswal danced down the pitch to dispatch Lyon for a massive six over long-on, which became his 34th maximum hit in Tests in 2024, surpassing Brendon McCullum’s record of 33 sixes in 2014 to become the batter with the most sixes in a calendar year in the format, as he and Rahul ensured India ended the day in a commanding position, while Australia have their backs against a defiant duo and would need more than anything special to make a comeback on day three.
Brief Scores: India 150/10 and 172/0 in 57 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 90 not out, KL Rahul 62 not out) lead Australia 104/10 in 51.2 overs (Mitchell Starc 26, Alex Carey 21; Jasprit Bumrah 5-30, Harshit Rana 3-48) by 218 runs
Source:IANS
