 "IND vs AUS Day 2 Major Highlights: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul's fifty, Jasprit Bumrah's five-for and more")
The second day of the first Test against Australia in Perth belonged to India, who took a 218-run lead in their second innings on Saturday with all 10 wickets to spare. India were 172/0 at stumps with Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul batting on 90 and 62 respectively.
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Australia had resumed Day 2 from their overnight score of 67/7 and managed to add just 37 more runs to the team total before being bowled out for 104 . That meant India, who were dismissed for 150 in their first innings, gained a 46-run lead going into the second innings.
With the second day done and dusted, we take a look at some key highlights from the day:
Yashasvi Jaiswal’s maiden Test fifty in Australia
Young Jaiswal has finally arrived in Australia. The 22-year-old had been dismissed for an eight-ball duck in the first innings, but made sure he roared back to form in the second innings. And so he did, in typical Jaiswal fashion, dealing with the opposition bowlers with calmness and composure.
Jaiswal got to his fifty in 123 deliveries, hitting five fours in the process. Unbeaten at 90, Jaiswal does not seem to be slowing down.
KL Rahul is back, but can he continue in the same vein?
Like Jaiswal, KL Rahul returned to form with a fighting half-century, and this time as an opener. Regular skipper Rohit Sharma’s absence from the Perth Test opened the doors for Rahul opening with Jaiswal. Rahul had scored 26 off 74 deliveries in the first innings, and his half-century in the second innings that came off 124 balls, was in a way of answering to his critics who have for long questioned his place in the team.
After all, he was fortunate to have got the openers’ role in Perth ahead of Abhimanyu Easwaran, who was also another candidate. What remains to be seen, however, is if Rahul can continue this kind of rich vein of form because in the past, the Karnataka batter has struggled with consistency. And Rohit’s return for the second Test in Adelaide would mean Rahul slot back in the middle-order. This knock from Rahul, however, is a good sign for India heading into the rest of the series.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsBumrah’s five-for wraps up Australia’s first innings
For India, it had to be that man Jasprit Bumrah who did the damage with the ball once again. The pacer, leading India in the first Test in Rohit’s absence, had already enthralled the Perth crowd on Friday with figures of 4/17 to leave Australia in trouble.
On Saturday, Bumrah further added to Australia’s misery with the dismissal of Alex Carey , the last recognised batter in the Australian team. It was a short of length delivery from Bumrah to Carey, who got the outside edge off the bat resulting in a comfortable catch for wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant. Bumrah finished with figures of 5/30.
Mitchell Starc’s partnership with Josh Hazlewood
Australia were reeling at 79/9 following the dismissal of Nathan Lyon in the 34th over. Carey (21) had been dismissed by Bumrah only five overs earlier, and the Aussies were staring at a total of below 100. However, Mitchell Starc (26) and Josh Hazlewood (7 not out) somewhat saved Australia from embarrassment with their 25-run partnership for the final wicket that lasted 110 balls.
Starc, in fact, took his time. He faced lethal deliveries from Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, taking a cautious and defensive approach against the duo. During his 112-ball knock of 26, Starc scored only a couple of boundaries, both of which came quite early in his innings. Hazlewood (7 not out off 31 balls) played an equally patient knock, although he did not have to deal with as many deliveries as Starc did.
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