Pant the Gladiator
An iconic stadium akin to the Colosseum, two warring sides and a belligerent Gladiator called Rishabh Pant. A day of cricket to remember as the Sydney Test moved at a breathtaking pace on Day 2.
Indian Bowling Impresses
The most heartening part for the Indians was the Indian bowling heroics despite the absence of Bumrah, who bowled 10 overs and then left for scans. Siraj , Prasidh Krishna and Nitish Reddy all bowled with great intent to skittle out Australia for just 181 giving India a slender lead of 4 runs. Siraj and Prasidh got 3 wickets a piece. Travis Head fell again cheaply for the third time in as many innings which gave India a massive advantage.
Debutant Beau Webster Scores a Fifty
For Australia the debutant Beau Webster scored a critical 50 and managed to get Australia close to India’s total. The top order however looks brittle for Australia and there is no doubt that the Indian bowling has had a measure of it in this series.
India Collapse..Yet Again
Yashasvi Jaiswal started with 4 fours in the first over from Mitch Starc. However from 42/0 India went down to 78/4 with Scott Boland claiming 3 and one wicket was taken by Beau Webster. KL Rahul and Virat Kohli went cheaply ending their series on a dismal note, while Shubhman Gill had a brain fade yet again and threw his wicket away at a crucial juncture. But then what followed from Pant was audaciously brilliant.
The Audaciously Brilliant Rishabh Pant
Rishabh Pant smashed the Australians for 6 fours and 4 sixes scoring 61 of just 33 balls. It was a whirlwind named Pant sweeping across the SCG as the scores of Indian fans roared in deafening decibels. His nonchalant belligerence coupled with his great hand eye coordination and power gave the spectators their monies worth and India a much needed cushion. Pat Cummins got the better of him in the end and brought the match back to an even keel.
India Lead By 145 Runs At Stumps
Scott Boland again got into the action and snared a tentative looking Nitish Reddy. India were 6 down. Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja then carried their bat to stumps with India at 141/6 with a total lead of 145.
A Match Difficult To Predict
The match moving at an unprecedented pace is getting difficult to predict. Which team is in front is a dangerous guess. A few quick wickets tomorrow for Australia might give them an edge. But if India carry on and the tail wags then Australia with their not so strong batting line up will have a tough task at hand on a difficult pitch. Jasprit Bumrah’s fitness may also tilt the balance of the game.
What an intriguing test match it is turning out to be, a real advert for the longer version of the game.
All eyes on Sydney.
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