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IND vs AUS, Day 2, 2nd Session: Axar Patel and Ravi Ashwin keeps Indian hopes of a First Innings lead alive

image-le9pnah4Axar Patel digging India out of the hole with his bat (Source: AP Newsroom)

India began the session after Lunch at 88 for 4 with Virat Kohli batting at 14 and Ravindra Jadeja at 15. The team management and the fans were pinning their hopes on the duo to take India into a position of strength in the match. 

But that did not happen as India managed to score 91 runs in the second session and lost three wickets in the process in 27 overs. It is Axar Patel (28 off 47) and Ravichandran Ashwin (11 off 23), who is batting out there for India and is trying to dig the team out of the hole.

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Ravindra Jadeja and Virat Kohli Stabilising the ship for India

As the match started after Lunch, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja took their partnership past 50 runs. It was looking like the duo felt comfortable in the middle and will take the team well past the Australian total. But that did not happen as Jadeja (26 off 74) succumbed to Todd Murphy when India's score was 125 runs. 

Kohli follows Jadeja

It has been a common feature of the Test, that one wicket has opened the gateway for one or couple of more wickets. The same happened to the Indian innings as Jadeja was dismissed. The Hosts lost three wickets in a span of five overs for just  14 runs. 

One of the three wickets to fall for India was that of Virat Kohli, who was acting as the adhesive on the batting. He was dismissed for a well-played 44 runs off 84 balls. Kohli's dismissal was followed by Srikar Bharat and that left India wanting a partnership to see the day through. 

Axar and Ashwin to the rescue

Ravichandran Ashwin walked out in the middle and joined Axar Patel with India struggling at 139 for eight. On a pitch where most of the top order struggled to handle spin, the two all-rounders batted with a lot of assurance and ensured that the team does not suffer any more slip-ups. Even towards the end of the session, Axar Patel looked to up the scoring rate. 


Talking points

  • Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin's unbeaten partnership of 40 runs kept India alive in the match. 
  • Virat Kohli's dismissal sparking controversies.
  • The Australian spinners showing an improved performance in this match as they have picked up seven wickets for 142 runs from 53 overs in this innings so far. 

Expectations from the Third session of Day 2

The pitch has assisted the spinners from the very beginning of the day. But Axar Patel has taken his time and has looked comfortable playing shots on the wicket. Ravichandran Ashwin is playing the role of aid for the southpaw to great effect. 

If not the whole session, Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin will at least continue to bat for an hour after tea. Patel's aggressive batting will take India very close to the Australian total but with not a lot of batting left, the hosts might fail to take the lead. Towards the end of the day, we might see Australia batting for five to ten overs. 

Brief Score

Australia: 263/10 (78.4 overs)

Usman Khawaja: 81 (125), Peter Handscomb: 72* (142);
Md. Shami 4/60 (14.4), Ravi Ashwin 3/57 (21)

India: 179 /7 (62 overs)

Axar Patel: 28* (47), Ravichandran Ashwin: 11* (23)
Nathan Lyon: 5/41 (20 Overs)