India vs Australia 2nd Test Day 2 Live Score: Jasprit Bumrah got a wicket in his second over of the day
India vs Australia 2nd Test Day 2 Live Score: Jasprit Bumrah got the early wicket that India were looking for as Nathan McSweeney edged the first ball of his second over to the wicketkeeper. This has brought in Steve Smith to give Marnus Labuschagne company on Day 2 of the pink-ball Test between India and Australia at the Adelaide Oval. Mohammed Siraj started the attack on Day 2 and Marnus Labuschagne ran three off the very first ball to get off the mark for the day. India have changed their tactics on Day 2, choosing to attack the stumps far more than they did on the first day.…Read More
Australia found exactly the sort of response they would have wanted on Day 1 of the Adelaide day-night Test match against India, dominating all three sessions and firmly putting their noses ahead. The Australian management and fans would have wanted a strong comeback from the team after the loss they suffered in Perth. Being hammered by India by 295 runs was not taken too kindly by the Australian public and media. However, the second Test has brought a new side to Australia as the hosts have given themselves the sort of platform from which they can build towards winning the Adelaide Test and levelling the series at 1-1.
Australia only trails by 94 runs heading into Day 2, with Marnus Labuschagne and Nathan McSweeney looking more and more comfortable at the crease as the ball grows older, and settling into a strong partnership despite the early dismissal of Usman Khawaja. Australia still has 9 wickets in the bank. McSweeney and Labuschagne saw off the most threatening period of play they are likely to face in this innings, under the fading lights on Day 1.
Plenty to be optimistic about from the standpoint of McSweeney and Labuschagne, who both struggled for runs in Perth and were tentative to begin with in Adelaide as well. McSweeney was let off the hook after Rishabh Pant shelled an admittedly tough chance and has made the most of it, finally looking like a player acclimatised to Test match cricket, with some solid defence and shot-making to close out the opening day at the Adelaide Oval. It’s a good omen for Australia if McSweeney can adapt to opening the batting on the toughest stage, and it is equally crucial that India does not allow that to happen, for the sake of this Test match and the rest of the series.
Australia, meanwhile, will be eyeing a big first innings lead. They will want their overnight batters to see out India’s opening spell early on Day 2, but with Steve Smith and Travis Head the batters due to come, they know they are capable of stacking up the runs and batting the visitors out of the game. The pitch isn’t as testing as India’s batters made it look, and the ball is in Australia’s court regarding how well their middle order can perform and set the stage for a big score.
For India, a largely fruitless third session toil means the task is huge on Day 2. The scoring got away from them, and the only way to come back into it is by taking wickets quickly. There is reason for optimism: the pink ball has proven difficult for new batters to cope with, leading to India’s middle order collapsing. An early wicket could give a much-needed opening.
It is most certainly an advantage for Australia, but India still has enough of a lead that a couple of quick wickets could quickly change the complexion of the game. This is something Jasprit Bumrah and co. will be aware of, but putting it into practice is another thing altogether at the Adelaide Oval.
To kick off Day 1, India had gotten off to the worst start as Yashasvi Jaiswal had another first-innings duck, this time off the very first ball of the match. This was the first of 6 wickets Mitchell Starc would take en route to career-best figures, ripping through the middle order before returning to clean up the tail in a clinical performance. A handy Shubman Gill and KL Rahul partnership seemed to lay good groundwork for India, but wickets fell in a cluster as the team went from 69-1 to 87-5 in the space of one short burst either side of the first session break.
Nitish Kumar Reddy continued to establish himself as a cricketer for India’s future with some courageous and inventive shot-making to give India a respectable if not comfortable score of 180, but Australia ate into it once Labuschagne and McSweeney got set. India’s lengths weren’t quite right, hitting the stumps half as often as the bowling group has managed in Perth, leaving an easier proposition for Australia’s batters to cope with as they took a healthy partnership into the overnight break.
Here are some pointers to Day 2 of India vs Australia 2nd Test:
– Jasprit Bumrah dismissed Steve Smith soon after getting his first wicket of the day
– Jasprit Bumrah got the early wicket India were looking for, sending back Nathan McSweeney for 39 off 109 balls with the first ball of his second over of the day
– Australia start the day on 86/1 in 33 overs, trailing India by 94 runs
– Marnus Labuschagne was batting on 20 off 67 balls while Nathan McSweeney was on 38 off 97 at the end of Day 1
– Jasprit Bumrah was the only wicket-taker for India on Day 1, dismissing Usman Khawaja
– India were all out for 180
– Mitchell Starc recorded career-best figures of 6/48
