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NEW DELHI: When the opening day of the first Test in Perth saw the fall of a record 17 wickets, it looked no brainer that the Border-Gavaskar series opener might not last even three days.
The grassy and bouncy track at the Optus Stadium had the batters floored and the quicks from both the sides made exceptional use of the conditions, wreaking havoc with the new Kookaburra ball.
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The continued assistance from the surface was expected for pacers on the second day as well, but in a sharp contrast on Saturday, the track demons that had haunted the batters, completely disappeared on the second day as India made the most of it, tightening their grip in the first Test.
The bite was just not there for the quicks as India openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul pulled off a record stand, giving the visitors a 218-run lead at the close of play.
With only three wickets falling, the second day completely belonged to the batters and Jaiswal and Rahul knocks were the centre of it.
Here’s a quick recap of how the batters helped India edge ahead against Australia in the BGT opener:
Five-star Bumrah
Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah ran through the Australian batting line-up on Friday with a remarkable four-for. Claiming the wickets of Nathan McSweeney, Usman Khawaja, Steven Smith and Pat Cummins, Bumrah had put the hosts on the mat as they found themselves reeling at 67 for 7 at stumps.
On the second day, Bumrah (5/30) continued from where he left as he removed Alex Carey for 21 for a well deserved 11th Test fifer.
With the Carey scalp, Bumrah also claimed his seventh five-wicket haul in SENA countries to tie with legendary Kapil Dev.
Harshit Rana then bagged the other two wickets as Australia were shot down for 104.
The frustrating Starc-Hazlewood stand
When Australia’s no.10 Nathan Lyon fell in the 7th over of the day with just 79 on the board, it was expected that the Indian team would wrap up the innings quickly and take a decent lead.
But Mitchell Starc along with No.11 Josh Hazlewood put up a surprising 25-run stand for the last wicket to frustrate India. Both batted a total of 110 deliveries together and saw off almost the entire morning session, irritating the visitors.
With Starc adding 15 in the stand, Hazlewood (7 not out) defended 31 balls as both showed that the nip off the surface that was on offer the opening day was not there and batting had indeed become easier.
Perth track demons gone!
While the opening day of the first Test was all about the bowlers, the second day had batters written all over it.
It seemed almost as if the track was replaced with a different one as the surface demons which had haunted the batters just dozed off, making it a batters’ paradise.
The first signs of the pitch easing up came to the fore when Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood ate up 110 balls for their 25-run last-wicket stand.
With the top grass cover coming off, the bite that the bowlers enjoyed was not at all visible.
The seam movement that was on offer on the opening day, decreased significantly in India’s second essay. From 48.8% of balls deviating (0.75 degrees or more) in India’s first innings, it came drastically down to only 27.3% when India were batted for the second time.
With the ball not doing much of the talking, it became all about Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul on the second day as both the openers added a stellar unbeaten stand to take India to 172 for no loss at the close of play.
Yashasvi-bhava!
On his maiden tour Down Under, an 8-ball duck in the first innings had put some pressure on Yashasvi Jaiswal but the swashbuckling opener came out with flying colours in the second essay, smacking an unbeaten 90 off 193 balls.
A perfect mix of caution and aggression, Jaiswal knock was simply a class act as he took on the Aussie quicks head on.
With the help of 7 fours and a couple of sixes, Jaiswal dominated the Australian pacers, giving his side a massive upper hand in the contest.
There were definitely a few plays and misses from Jaiswal during his stay in the middle in the second innings but the 22-year-old looked a lot more in control and confident as he neared his maiden ton in Australia at stumps.
Warrior Rahul
In the first innings, warrior KL Rahul had fought hard in testing conditions before being controversially dismissed for 26. But before his unfortunate dismissal, Rahul looked solid in technique and temperament in his make-shift opener’s role as he took on the Aussie pace challenge.
In the second innings, Rahul continued from where he left, scoring an incredible 62 not out.
Rahul’s record unbeaten stand with Jaiswal put India in pole position as the duo dominated the Australian pacers on the second day.
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