India vs Australia 4th Test Day 2: IND 164/5 vs AUS at Stumps
India vs Australia 4th Test –Australia Pile on the Pressure, Shutting India at 164/5 In Melbourne, On Day 2
- Steve Smith’s 140 and Cummins’ Pacy Bowling leave India Reeling
- With 34 centuries, Steve Smith now shares this spot with Sunil Gavaskar, Brian Lara, and Younis Khan.
- Yashasvi Jaiswal Makes His Mark With 82 Before The End of His Innings Due To A Mix-up
- Australia Restricts Rohit Sharma And KL Rahul again, Seizing Control on match
- Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja Defend Their Side at Stumps, Still 310 Runs Behind
- Day 2 of the Test saw a record attendance of 85147 fans at the MCG
Melbourne: Australia continued to assert their dominance in the 4th Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), considering India reached 164/5 on the second day, still falling short by 310 runs. Steve Smith’s barrage of knocks from the front with an impressive 140 saw Australia with an inning score of 474. In turn, India had a fair chance of getting back in the match, but only Yashasvi Jaiswal, who managed to get 82 runs, suffered when strike bowlers were put into play by Australia late into the match.
Australia Set the Tone through Batting
The day began with a score of 311/6 as Steve Smith and Pat Cummins added 112 runs in their seventh wicket’s partnership. It was a great start to the day for Smith when he scored his 34th Test century, further cementing his place in cricketing history. Cummins made an important 49 before he was taken long off from a Ravindra Jadeja delivery.
As Smith’s marathon came to an unusual end, an inside edge of Akash Deep first hit the pad, then the stumps. Mitchell Starc, who made 15 runs, and Nathan Lyon, who scored 13 runs, were able to add on the runs Australia had made. Australia lost its final wicket for 474 runs. For India, Bumrah (4/99) and Ravindra Jadeja (3/78) were the main wickettakers, supported by Akash’s Deep, who took Smith’s wicket.
India’s Poor Beginning
India started off cautiously but quickly fell apart. The Indian team started losing key players to Pat Cummins, who dismissed Indian captain Rohit Sharma for just 3 runs. Rohit’s simple pull shot fell in the hand of Boland, continuing his poor form in this series.
Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul anchored the inning momentarily, putting together a 43-run partnership. Jaiswal appeared to be in good form with some classy boundaries. However, it all came to an end just before tea break, with Rahul getting bowled by Cummins after scoring 24 runs.
Middle Order Woes
For the third wicket, Jaiswal and Virat Kohli put up a partnership of 102 and raised some hopes in the Indian camp. An unfortunate mix-up with Kohli while attempting a run caused the run-out of Jaiswal, who was on 82. In the very next over, Kohli, attempting to jab at a Scott Boland delivery, was caught behind for 36 runs.
Standing in as a night watchman, Akash Deep managed to face only 13 balls before being dismissed for a duck. The spectacular late show from the Australian bowlers led to the collapse of India’s middle order, leaving Rishabh Pant (6*) and Ravindra Jadeja (4*) to finish the final over of the match under extreme duress.
Australian Bowlers Show their Strength
Pat Cummins and Scott Boland were behind the Australian onslaught with the ball. After registering an early breakthrough, Cummins managed to end Rahul’s inning and finished the day with 2 wickets for 57 runs. Boland, on the other hand, claimed 2 wickets in the evening session, including the prized scalp of Kohli.
What next?
India looks to incur no further damage on Day 3 and tries to chase down a 310 run target. It is clear that Pant and Jadeja are the two Indian cricketers who seem to be in the best position to mount a comeback, whereas Australia’s bowlers will be looking to take advantage of the situation and convert the promising position into a victory to take the series lead.
Read also
- “India vs Australia 4th Test Day 1: Key Highlights, Important Performance and Bumrah’s emphatic Fightback”
- Ravichandran Ashwin Retires from International Test Cricket
- India vs Australia 3rd Test Match Highlights: Day 4: India 252/9
- India vs Australia 3rd Test Day 2: Travis Head, Steve Smith in charge as Australia reaches 405/7
- Australia Levels Border-Gavaskar Series: India’s Batting Woes Continue in Adelaide Test
