AUS vs IND, 1st Test, Day 2: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul added unbeaten 172-run stand for the opening wicket. India lead by 218 runs at the stumps.
Brief Score: IND 150 & 172/0 (Yashasvi Jaiswal 90*, KL Rahul 62*) lead AUS 104 (Mitchell Starc 26, Jasprit Bumrah 5/30, Harshit Rana 3/48) by 218 runs.
Team India openers KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal made merry in the team’s second innings by scoring unbeaten half-centuries after a Jasprit Bumrah-led bowling attack gave them a 46-run lead.
Talking points: Batters make the most of favourable conditions
The opening day of the Perth Test saw 17 wickets falling, the most for any venue in Australia for the first day. However, what transpired on Day 2 was the opposite as only three wickets fell and the pitch became easy to bat on.
India's opening batters made the most of the conditions as they not only added 172 runs for the first wicket but also remained unbeaten through the two sessions.
India gain significant 46 first-innings lead
After reducing Australia to 67/7 overnight, India got rid of the last recognised batter of the hosts, Alex Carey, in the seventh ball of the day, giving Jasprit Bumrah his fifth wicket of the innings. Soon, Harshit Rana gave India their ninth scalp in the form of Nathan Lyon as the hosts were tottering at 79/9.
Just as things looked ominous for the hosts, their last wicket pair of Josh Hazlewood and Micthell Starc hung around for 18 overs adding 25 valuable runs. This allowed the Aussies to cross the 100-run mark but was not enough to pip India’s first-innings total.
Read More: BGT 2024-25, AUS vs IND, 1st Test, Day 1: Bumrah reduces Australia to 67-7 after India fold for 150
Openers give India a solid start
On a surface that eased out and got much better to bat, India openers KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal came out positively. They batted with a lot of intent and brought up their 50-run stand in 88 balls. The pair looked to rotate the strike and pounced on any loose delivery on offer. Both Rahul and Jaiswal negated the session without losing their wicket and piled up 84 runs, increasing the lead to 130.
Rahul & Jaiswal extend India's dominance post-tea
After a wicketless session, Australia bowlers kept bowling the right lengths, keeping things tight and the opening pair played cautiously adding just 22 runs in the first hour. But they took advantage of the tired legs and beautiful batting conditions by hammering 66 runs in the next 14 overs to end the day at 172/0. While Jaiswal remained unbeaten on 90, KL Rahul carried his bat at 62.
Read More: BGT 2024-25: Kohli, the leader, proved to be perfect ally for Bumrah, the captain, in Perth
Statistical Highlights from Aus vs Ind, First Test, Day 2
Jasprit Bumrah registered his 11th fifer in Test cricket. This is his seventh fifer in SENA conditions, the joint most for an India bowler alongside Kapil Dev.
Australia were packed up for their second-lowest total (104) against India at home.
Harshit Rana took 3-48 on his career debut. These are the fifth-best figures for an India bowler on debut in Australia.
Mitchell Starc faced 112 balls in his 26 innings. This is the maximum number of balls he faced in an innings in Australia.
The top six of Australia's batting order added 37 runs. This is the third-lowest for them in a home Test in the post-World War II era.
Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul registered the sixth hundred-plus partnership for India in Tests against Australia in Australia.
Yashasvi Jaiswal registered his third fifty-plus Test score away from home.
Jaiswal & Rahul's opening stand of 172* is the highest for this wicket for India in Tests played in Australia in the 21st century. This eclipses Virender Sehwag and Akash Chopra's 141-run stand in Melbourne in 2003.
Jaiswal (34) has hit the most sixes in Tests in a calendar year
What’s next
India batters would love to add as many runs as possible on the moving day of the Test match. They’d look to put the Aussies out of the contest. Meanwhile, the hosts will look to regroup and deliver a much better bowling performance on Sunday.
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