IND vs AUS: 2nd Test, Day 3 – Jadeja-Ashwin fire India to an early win in Delhi
The Indian team, led by Rohit Sharma, have taken another huge stride towards securing the series after defeating Australia in a hard-fought second Test in Delhi. The home side got past Australia’s total after a characteristically gritty knock from Cheteshwar Pujara. KS Bharat played a brisk cameo in the fourth innings.
Like the first Test match of the series, the Delhi Test also concluded within the first three days. The day started with Australia in the driver’s seat, thanks to a brisk session of play on the second day. However, catastrophe struck the visitors in the very first over of the day when Ravichandran Ashwin accounted for Travis Head. Steve Smith was dismissed by the offie for the second time in the match.
Marnus Labuschagne was the next batter to depart after he was cleaned up by Ravindra Jadeja. The Australian innings went into a tailspin after Labuschagne’s dismissal. They finished with a lowly total of 113 runs in their second innings.
India did stutter in their chase, but their quality eventually shone as they chased down the target comfortably. Cheteshwar Pujara, who was dismissed for a duck in the first innings, struck the winning runs for his side in his 100th Test.
Here are some of the talking points from the game:
One-man demolition job
Ravindra Jadeja made a tremendous return to cricket in the Test series opener against Australia in Nagpur, dismissing concerns over his fitness. The left-arm spinner, who registered a three-for in the first innings of the Delhi contest, was the tormentor in chief for the visitors in their second innings. He accounted for seven Australian batters in the second innings, restricting the visitors to a modest total of 113 runs, finishing with ten wickets in the match.
Sweeping to their demise
The Australian batters gave a great account of themselves in the last hour or so on the third day, scoring runs at a brisk pace. However, their reliance on the sweep shots led to their downfall in the second innings. Six Australian batters were dismissed while trying to attempt the sweep. Steve Smith was the first batter to depart on day three while attempting the sweep shot. His dismissal saw the Aussies lose nine wickets for 52 runs in the morning session.
Australia does not go down without a fight
Despite a meek surrender by the Australian batters in the morning session, the visitors did not make it easy for Rohit Sharma’s men. KL Rahul was unlucky to depart for yet another low score. The Aussie spinners kept their side in the hunt with wickets at regular intervals. However, they did not have enough runs in the bank as India eventually got to the target to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series.
What next?
The third Test of the series has been shifted from Dharmasala to Indore owing to the former’s lack of readiness. Indore’s Holkar Stadium will, therefore, host the penultimate rubber of the four-Test affair from March 1.
