Day 2 was all about batsmen coming to bat, trying to survive somehow and eventually getting out. As many as 15 wickets fell on Day 2 of the first test match between Ind and Aus here in Pune. Meanwhile, India lost last 7 wickets of their innings for a record 11 runs.
Lets take a look at the highlights of the day:
Steve O’Keefe ( 35-6) was the superstar of the day. He spun Aussies from position of mediocrity to a position of utter dominance. He took the all important wickerts of Rahul, Rahane and Saha in a single over. He then went on to take 3 more wickes to make a mockery of India’s tail.
KL Rahul (64 off 97 balls) made 64 out of a total of 105 scored by India. He was very watchful early in the innings and slowly started playing his shots. He struck some magnificent drives against the likes of Starc and Lyon. Rahul’s wicket eventually led to the record collapse of the Indian team as Rahul miscued a pull to long off.
R.Ashwin ( 3-68) sent down 16 overs in a row to start Australia’s second innings. He made Aussies earn each and every run and even bagged 3 wickets in the process. Ashwin is going to be the key if India want to have any chance of getting Australia out early.
The luckiest man of the day award goes went to Steve Smith (59* off 117 balls). He was dropped as many as three times by the Indian team. While he was happy to play defensively in the first innings, this time he came with an intent to score and played aggressively. He sweeped and flicked his way to a hard earned half century. His wicket is the first thing which India will look for on Day 3.
So surprisingly, Australia is dominating the first Test against India in Pune, ending with a lead of 298 runs. After ending their first innings on 260, they orchestrated an Indian collapse – from 94 for 3 to 105 all-out. Steve O’Keefe was the hero of the day, taking six for 35.
Brief Scores : Australia 260 & 143/4 (Steve Smith 59*; R Ashwin 3-68) lead India 105 all out (KL Rahul 64; Steve O’Keefe 6-35) by 298 runs
