• Home
  • Match Hub
  • Aus Vs Ind 4Th Test Day 2 Highlights Smith Cummins Keep Australia Ahead Despite Jaiswal Kohli Defiance

AUS vs IND 4th Test Day 2 Highlights: Smith, Cummins Keep Australia Ahead Despite Jaiswal, Kohli Defiance

Aakash Saini∙ Updated: Dec 27 2024, 1:09 PM

Virat Kohli congratulating Steve Smith on Day 2 [Source: @ICC/x]Virat Kohli congratulating Steve Smith on Day 2 [Source: @ICC/x]

Steve Smith hammered down a majestic century on Day 2 of the MCG Test against India. Australian captain Pat Cummins unfurled a remarkable outing with both bat and ball, before Scott Boland seized some late momentum as the hosts attained complete control over Rohit Sharma’s visiting drawcards before stumps.

Here’s the timeline of how AUS vs IND panned out in MCG:

AUS vs IND Highlights: Steve Smith Notches Up 34th Test Ton As Australia Mounts 474

Unbeaten Steve Smith and Pat Cummins added an exact 100 on Day 2 to Australia’s overnight total of 311-6. Forming 112 runs for the seventh wicket to steer the hosts past the 400-run mark, Smith notched up his 34th Test century and his second in succession this series, mounting 140 imposing runs from just 197 balls with 13 boundaries and three sixes.

Cummins made a swift 49 off 63 balls before slicing Ravindra Jadeja towards Nitish Kumar Reddy at covers. Jadeja also knocked over Mitchell Starc to pick up his third wicket of the innings, before Akash Deep curtailed Smith juggernaut and Jasprit Bumrah trapped Nathan Lyon as Australia finish their first innings at 474 in 122.4 overs.

For India, Bumrah once again unfurled the spell of the high-scoring innings with figures of 4-99 to take his series tally to 25 wickets.

AUS vs IND Highlights: Pat Cummins Topples Rohit Sharma, Rahul In New Ball Blitz

Australian skipper Pat Cummins deceived his Indian counterpart Rohit Sharma for just three with a short-of-a-length delivery in the second over of the innings. Roughly an hour later, the speedster also curtailed KL Rahul’s threatening stay at the crease with a peach as India slipped to 51-2 in 15 overs.

Rahul punched out three boundaries during his 42-ball stay to yield 24 runs for India and shared 43 fighting runs with Yashasvi Jaiswal for the second wicket.

AUS vs IND Highlights: Kohli, Jaiswal Steady Indian Ship Before Another Late Collapse

Opening batter Yashasvi Jaiswal and struggling number four Virat Kohli steadied India’s faltering ship with a century-plus partnership for the third wicket. The two cricketers counterattacked Australian pacers and senior spinner Nathan Lyon by crafting 102 runs from 26 overs to take India past the 150-run mark.

Kohli looked in fine touch as he raced to 36 runs with four elegant boundaries, which included a majestic cover-drive off Pat Cummins. Jaiswal brought up his ninth Test half-century and reached 82 from 118 balls with 11 boundaries and a six, before an unfortunate mix-up with Kohli reopened the floodgates for the hosts.

Scott Boland seized Australia’s newfound momentum with the quick wickets of a well-set Kohli and night watchman Akash Deep as Team India crashed from 153-2 to 164-5 by stumps on Day 2. Unbeaten Rishabh Pant (6*) and Ravindra Jadeja (4*) will resume the first Indian innings on Day 3 to find themselves another 310 runs away from the hosts.