India 21 for 0 (Rohit 13*, Rahul 4*) path Australia 263 (Khawaja 82, Handscomb 72*, Shami 4-60, Ashwin 3-57, Jadeja 3-68) by 242 runs
Handscomb was extra orthodox and warranted, trusting his defence, ready for the unfastened ball and, every now and then, creating back-foot photographs. When Khawaja and Handscomb added 59 for the fifth wicket within the center session, Australia seemed essentially the most in management they’ve been all sequence. However, additionally they suffered three double blows: shedding Labuschagne and Smith on 91, then Khawaja and Alex Carey on 167 and 168, and Pat Cummins and Todd Murphy on 227. Handscomb stayed unbeaten on 72, including 19 and 17 for the ninth and tenth wickets.
Australia nonetheless added 50 for the primary wicket at the same time as Warner seemed out of types because of Khawaja’s aggressive intent. When Khawaja and Labuschagne acquired collectively, they even started to focus on the bowlers.
In Nagpur, Rohit Sharma had been impatient with bowling modifications as a result of he did not need to concede fast runs on a troublesome monitor. Here, he trusted Ashwin even when Labuschagne attacked him first ball he confronted him. Ashwin had bowled fantastically within the first session for little reward – very like Siraj – however simply earlier than lunch, the rewards got here his method.
An offbreak was good sufficient to show previous Labuschagne’s inside edge however not sufficient to overlook the stumps. He additionally had his captain supporting him in a DRS evaluate for lbw. Two balls later, an analogous launch, an analogous seam place, went on with the angle to take Smith’s edge.
Travis Head, changing Matt Renshaw, seemed to assault, and though he seemed most uncomfortable in opposition to Ashwin, it was Shami who took the wicket. The supply was much like the one which he acquired Warner with: wanting a size, angling in from around the wicket, however holding its line off the seam.
That introduced collectively Handscomb and Khawaja, who hardly scored down the bottom off the spinners. That reverse-sweep nearly turned the push down the bottom for a single. He picked his spots fantastically. Dry durations did not frustrate him. He waited for his moments, after which cashed in. There was one such interval when he was sweeping fantastically. In the forty sixth over, he tapped Jadeja for a reverse-sweep for 4, and smashed the following one. Rahul, although, leapt to his proper, caught his hand out, and pulled off a stunner. Immediately Ashwin took out Carey with a catch at slip.
If Khawaja scored 29 off his 81 runs by means of sweeps, Handscomb’s success lay in scoring 32 off 59 balls from Jadeja with out trying in any hassle. With Pat Cummins, he added 59 for the seventh wicket. However, Jadeja did discover that one good over to show the sport once more. When he went wider on the crease, the ball turned lower than Cummins anticipated due to the angle, and trapped him lbw. Two balls later, Todd Murphy performed a unfastened drive to get bowled.
India maybe needed to attend for the brand new ball earlier than bringing Ashwin again, however Shami discovered reverse-swing with the outdated ball to make the brand new ball pointless. Both his final wickets, Nathan Lyon and debutant Matt Kunhemann, had been bowled.
India managed to outlive the 9 overs earlier than stumps and not using a loss, however the shooter off the penultimate supply of the day arrange the remainder of the Test deliciously.
Sidharth Monga is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo
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