A Test match featuring India and Australia is never short of drama. The ongoing first Test of the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, in Perth, has once again proved it.
Australia led by pacer Josh Hazlewood, bundled out the Indians for just 150 in the first innings, but their hopes of taking the upper hand were blown by their Indian counterparts, as the hosts were bowled out for 104, with stand-in skipper Jasprit Bumrah claiming a fifer.
If the Aussies thought they could spark an Indian batting collapse in the second innings, too, they were in for a shock. Indian openers KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal defied all odds to put on a brilliant 172-run partnership to help India to a 218-run lead at stumps on day two of the match. Rahul was unbeaten on 62, while Jaiswal was 90 not out.
There was no respite for the Aussie bowlers, as the Indian batters dropped anchor and punished the loose balls. Jaiswal was the more aggressive of the two openers. In one of the overs bowled by Mitchell Starc, he smashed a delivery on the legs to deep square leg for a boundary. He tried another aggressive shot off the next ball but missed it, prompting Starc to smile and shake his head. Jaiswal defended the next ball solidly, even as the left-arm pacer continued his run up to rile up the batter. Never one to back off, Jaiswal told Starc, “It's coming too slow”.
Netizens were quick to point out that it was the perfect response to Starc, who had engaged in a banter with Indian pacer Harshit Rana during Australia's first innings. After one of the numerous bouncers aimed at him by Rana, Starc remarked, “I bowl faster than you”, following it up another remark, “I have a long memory”.
Jaiswal, Rahul mix caution with aggression
After skipper Jasprit Bumrah's 11th five-wicket haul bundled out Australia for 104, the Indian openers displayed grit and character to help India to a crucial 218-run lead.
Jaiswal, who was dismissed for a duck in the first innings, hit seven fours and two sixes, including a flick for a maximum off Starc. His half-century came off 123 balls, his slowest in 15 Tests.
Rahul was patience personified as he wore down the Aussie attack, and in the post-tea session when Indians were kept on a tight leash by Nathan Lyon, neither he nor Jaiswal ran out of patience.
Earlier, Bumrah was ably supported by debutant Rana despite the last-wicket stand between Starc (26 off 113 balls) and Hazlewood (7 not out off 31 balls).