Ahmedabad: India reached 36 for no loss in their first innings after dismissing Australia for 480 on the second day of the series-deciding fourth Test here on Friday. Rohit Sharma (17 batting) and Shubman Gill (18 batting) were at the crease at the draw of stumps with India still 444 runs behind.
Ravichandran Ashwin (6/91) was the most successful bowler for India as he picked up five wickets on the second day, while Axar Patel managed to remove Usman Khawaja (180). Mohammed Shami (2/134) had taken two wickets on day one. Earlier, resuming the day at 255 for 4, Khawaja and Cameron Green (114) kept batting with ease as they added another 123 runs to consolidate Australia's position.
After a barren morning session, Ashwin dismissed Green and Carey (0) in a space of four balls, before getting rid of Mitchell Starc (6). Patel then trapped Khawaja, but Todd Murphy (41) and Nathan Lyon (34) added 70 runs to frustrate India. Ashwin returned to pick up the remaining two wickets.
Brief Scores:
Australia first innings: 480 all out in 167.2 overs (Usman Khawaja 180, Cameron Green 114; R Ashwin 6/91).
India first innings: 36 for no loss in 10 overs (Rohit Sharma 17 batting, Shubman Gill 18 batting).
4th Test: IND vs AUS; Day 2
India 1st Innings:
Rohit Sharma not out 17
Shubman Gill not out 18
Extras: (LB-1) 1
Total: (For no loss, 10 Overs) 36
Bowler: Mitchell Starc 3-1-7-0, Cameron Green 2-0-11-0, Nathan Lyon 3-0-14-0, Matthew Kuhnemann 2-0-3-0.
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Ahmedabad: India dismissed Australia for 480 on the second day of the series-deciding fourth Test here on Friday. Ravichandran Ashwin (6/91) was the most successful bowler for India as he picked up five wickets on the second day, while Axar Patel managed to remove Usman Khawaja. Mohammed Shami (2/134) had taken two wickets on day one.
Earlier, resuming the day at 255 for 4, Khawaja and Cameron Green (114) kept batting with ease as they added another 123 runs to consolidate Australia's position. After a barren morning session, Ashwin dismissed Green and Carey (0) in a space of four balls, before getting rid of Mitchell Starc (6).
Patel then trapped Khawaja, but Todd Murphy (41) and Nathan Lyon (34) added another 70 runs to frustrate India. Ashwin returned to pick the remaining two wickets.
Brief Scores:
Australia first innings: 480 all out in 167.2 overs (Usman Khawaja 180, Cameron Green 114; R Ashwin 6/91).
Scoreboard on the second day of the series-deciding fourth Test between India and Australia, here on Friday.
Australia 1st Innings: (Overnight 255 for 4 in 90 overs)
Travis Head c Jadeja b Ashwin 32
Usman Khawaja lbw Axar 180
Marnus Labuschagne b Mohd Shami 3
Steven Smith b Jadeja 38
Peter Handscomb b Mohd Shami 17
Cameron Green c Srikar Bharat b Ashwin 114
Alex Carey c Axar b Ashwin 0
Mitchell Starc c Shreyas Iyer b Ashwin 6
Nathan Lyon c Kohli b Ashwin 34
Todd Murphy lbw b Ashwin 41
Matthew Kuhnemann not out 0
Extras: (B-9, LB-3, NB-2, W-1) 15
Total (For 10 wickets, 167.2 overs) 480
Fall of wickets: 1-61, 2-72, 3-151, 4-170, 378-5, 378-6, 387-7, 409-8, 479-9, 480-10.
Bowling: Mohammed Shami 31-3-134-2, Umesh Yadav 25-2-105-0, Ravichandran Ashwin 47.2-15-91-6, Ravindra Jadeja 35-5-89-1, Axar Patel 28-8-47-1, Shreyas Iyer 1-0-2-0.
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- Axar Patel removes Usman Khawaja (180). He was adjudged lbw.
- Australia loses two consecutive wickets in Green (114) and Alex Carey (0). Both the wickets were picked up by Ashwin
- Cameron Green too brings up his century and flashes his bat in the air as the Australian dressing room rise and clap for what has been a grilling and a sensible knock in one of the harshest of conditions and against a class bowling attack.
Until Lunch:
Ahmedabad: Usman Khawaja continued his grind while Cameron Green blended attack with defence to get close to his maiden Test hundred as Australia consolidated their position in the fourth match against India by reaching 347 for four at lunch, here Friday.
Khawaja (150 batting) and Green (95 batting) have now added 177 runs for the unbroken fifth wicket stand as the Indian bowlers endured a wicket-less session in which the Australians scored 92 runs after starting the second day at 255 for four. This is Green's highest Test score surpassing his previous best of 84. The Indian bowling unit struggled big time on a good batting track as Australians dictated the terms both on attacking as well as defensive front. Not for once the batters looked in any kind of discomfort on a track that has remained firm and hasn't shown any distinct signs of wear and tear.
Having leaked a lot of runs with the second new ball on the first evening, India captain Rohit Sharma couldn't afford setting an attacking field as he had to check the flow of runs. Hence, a deep point, deep square leg and deep fine leg were employed to stop the boundary count.
But with a left-right pair at the crease, the bowlers had to alter length as the two kept the scoreboard ticking. Umesh Yadav (0/95) for the second day in a row was profligate and paid the price as Green launched on a juicy full-toss and a half-volley, driving them past mid-off fielder.
Against Ravichandran Ashwin (1/71), he got on to the backfoot and drove through the point region. Mohammed Shami (2/84) tried the bouncer tactic but the slowness of the track allowed Green all the time in the world to play the pull-shot. Khawaja, at the other end, despite batting on century plus didn't deviate from his plans as he tucked Yadav off his hips to the square leg boundary, steering him through vacant slip region. The 150 came with a pull-shot off Shami as the frustration in Indian platers' body language was palpable.
It also didn't help that Kona Bharat, rated highly by this team management, had another awful day behind the stumps. His technique while keeping up to the spinners looked a bit faulty as he was getting up too early. (PTI)
Brief Scores:
Australia first innings: 347 for 4 in 119 overs (Usman Khawaja 150 not out, Cameron Green 95 not out; Mohammed Shami 2/84).
4th Test: IND vs AUS; Day 2 Lunch
Australia 1st Innings: (Overnight 255 for 4 in 90 overs)
Travis Head c Jadeja b Ashwin 32
Usman Khawaja batting 150
Marnus Labuschagne b Mohd Shami 3
Steven Smith b Jadeja 38
Peter Handscomb b Mohd Shami 17
Cameron Green batting 95
Extras: (B-9, LB-1, NB-1, W-1) 12
Total (For 4 wickets, 119 overs) 347
Fall of wickets: 1-61, 2-72, 3-151, 4-170.
Bowling: Mohammed Shami 22-3-84-2, Umesh Yadav 21-2-95-0, Ravichandran Ashwin 31-8-71-1, Ravindra Jadeja 24-3-61-1, Axar Patel 20-6-24-0, Shreyas Iyer 1-0-2-0.
- Usman Khawaja has continued where he left yesterday while Cameron Green has been an able ally with the former now building on his century while the latter starting the innings from scratch after reaching the half century. Australia are on course of getting a match-winning score in their first innings as Indian bowlers toil.
Earlier yesterday, Usman Khawaja combined patience with grit to raise his 14th Test hundred that guided Australia to a comfortable 255 for four as a keen contest between bat and ball marked the opening day of the fourth and final match. After dominating the batters in the first three matches of the series, the Indian spinners struggled to trouble the Australians with the Motera track, as anticipated, turning out to be a better wicket.
Khawaja, Australia's best batter on the tour, was determination- personified throughout his six-hour stay as he struck 15 boundaries in his unbeaten 104-run knock. At stumps the Pakistan-born Khwaja had Cameron Green (49) for company. As a southpaw, neither does Khawaja have the panache of someone like a David Warner nor the brute power of a Matthew Hayden, who was capable of executing slog sweeps fetching deliveries from wide outside the off-stump.
His game maybe pretty low on aesthetics but is highly impactful as he came across as a batter, who wouldn't try anything which is outside his comfort zone. Anything pitched on his legs was punished through the leg-side while the occasional cover drive would come out of the closet, like one off Jadeja in the final session.
Otherwise, it was just playing the ball late and rocking on the back-foot, while whipping Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja through the square-leg or mid-wicket region. It was only fitting that an on-drive off Mohammed Shami (2/65), brought up what would be one of his most cherished Test hundreds that he celebrated with his now-customary leap in the air.
For someone, who faced racism during his early years, with typical Asian stereotype jibes like "Curry Muncher", life did make Khawaja mentally tough and he has shone through time and again during his second coming -- be it Sydney, Karachi, Rawalpindi, Delhi or now in Ahmedabad.
It did help that there was no devil on the Motera track and with no significant help on offer, India's spin troika of Ashwin (1/57), Jadeja (1/49) and Axar Patel weren't as effective compared to first three games. Save Shami's lethal reverse swing to get Peter Handscombe castled, none of the other dismissals came off wicket-taking deliveries and could be attributed to lapse of concentration on part of batters.
It was a track where if one even got deceived in the air, the slowness off the surface ensured that playing on backfoot became second line of defence. Run scoring wasn't easy but surviving and slowly building an innings wasn't difficult either as Khawaja showed.
Twice Australia lost back-to-back wickets but prior to that and after that, Khawaja remained a constant factor. He had partnerships of 61 for the opening stand with Travis Head (32), 79 for the third wicket Steve Smith (38) and another 103 for the fifth wicket with Green, who counter-punched towards the end of the day.
The run-rate of 2.83 would show that scoring wasn't very easy, save the first hour when Head hit Umesh Yadav for a flurry of boundaries. There is nothing in the track and Australia, if they apply themselves well, could post their best total of the series. Head, in fact, must be feeling horrible as he undid all his good work in the first hour by playing an indiscreet shot. He tried to chip Ashwin over mid-on without reaching to the pitch of the delivery.
Ashwin had just altered the length slightly and deceived Head, who offered the easiest of catches to one of the world's best fielders, Jadeja. Head got a reprieve while batting on seven when wicketkeeper KS Bharath dropped a regulation catch off Umesh Yadav's bowling. Yadav, who usually invites criticism for his inconsistency, was once again erratic as he gave a lot of boundary balls.
Out of the seven boundaries that Head got, half a dozen came from Yadav's overs. The end from which Shami bowled, a lot of deliveries kept low and one such ball brought about the downfall of Marnus Labuschagne. It was an off-cutter and Labuschagne wanted to play the square cut but dragged it back onto the stumps. But then Khawaja took over and made sure Australia had their best opening day of the series. (PTI)
