On a thrilling Day 2 of the fifth and final Test between India and Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), India took charge of the game, after an amazing innings by wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant and a focused bowling effort earlier in the day.
India ended the day at 141/6 in their second innings, with Ravindra Jadeja (8*) and Washington Sundar (6*) still in the middle. India has a strong lead of 145 runs, putting them in a great position in the fifth and final test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.
Rishabh Pant entertained everyone with a quick 61 off just 33 balls, reaching his half-century in only 29 balls, the second-fastest Test fifty by an Indian. His exciting innings included powerful boundaries and big sixes, including a smooth six off Mitchell Starc to celebrate his fifty. Pant’s aggressive play gave India a big boost.
Pant’s exciting innings ended when he played a wide delivery from Pat Cummins and edged it to Alex Carey behind the stumps leaving India at 124/5. After Pant was out, India took a careful approach, with Jadeja and Sundar working on building their lead.
After an aggressive start from the Indian opener, especially left-hander Yashasvi Jaiswal was sent back into the pavilion by Scott Boland who bowled out both KL Rahul and Jaiswal by absolute peach in quick succession.
Virat Kohli was dismissed again, caught in the slip cordon after edging the ball, and appeared visibly frustrated with himself. His weakness has become a major topic of discussion, as this was the 8th time he has been out this way in the ongoing BGT. This could be Kohli’s final Test innings on Australian soil.
Edged and caught at slip 🔁
Scott Boland gets Virat Kohli ☝️pic.twitter.com/VR2Tf3v3Ym#AUSvIND
— CricWick (@CricWick) January 4, 2025
Beau Webster took his first-ever Test wicket when Shubman Gill attempted a counter-attack but ended up edging the ball into the hands of Alex Carey. Nitish Kumar Reddy who scored a golden duck in the first innings, started his second innings with patience but he also attempted a lofted shot off Boland by couldn’t time the ball.
Earlier in the day, India’s bowlers put on an excellent display to bowl out Australia for 181 in their first innings. Mohammed Siraj (3/51), Prasidh Krishna (3/42), and Nitish Reddy (2/32) stepped up in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, who left the field for scans due to an unknown injury but later came back to the dressing room. Bumrah still played a key role, taking two important wickets (2/33) before leaving the field.
Australia struggled against India’s steady bowling, with none of their batters able to score big except for Webster who managed to score 50 in his debut match. However, Indian bowlers kept up the pressure throughout the innings.
19-year-old Sam Konstas once again smashed Indian skipper Jasprit Bumrah by reverse-lapping him, he fearlessly danced down the crease and showed his aggression with the bat too, but the young batter’s attack didn’t last long as Mohammad Siraj sent him back in the hut.
Travis Head smashed a boundary on the second ball he faced. Siraj’s attacking lengths helped him to dismiss the left-hander as he edged the ball and KL Rahul completed the job by grabbing a simple catch.
However, on his home ground, Smith looked focused as he played the ball well. He counter-attacked when Prasidh came to bowl, hitting some important boundaries and adding a crucial 57 runs with Webster. However, Prasidh took the important wicket of Steve Smith for India, dismissing him for 33 runs.
India’s lead of 145 runs places them in a strong position. On the other hand, Australia will need early wickets on Day 3 to fight their way back into the match.
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Jasir Basharat is a cricket enthusiast capturing the heart of the game through insightful analysis and storytelling sharing his passion for the sport through engaging narratives. He is a business graduate from University of Kashmir.
