IND v AUS, 2nd Test, Day 2 Review: Shaun Marsh and Matt Renshaw put Australia in a commanding position

After a lacklustre performance in the opening day of the 2nd Test, India bounced back strongly in the opening session of the 2nd day and crawled their way back into the match after two crucial strikes in the morning session. Ravichandran Ashwin was handed over the red cherry to start off proceedings and he didn’t disappoint. The spin ace bamboozled David Warner with a peach of a delivery which turned a mile and rattled his timber.

The ball pitched a shade outside the leg stump and turned sharply to take the off stump. Warner was squared up and his feet moved nowhere. He was stagnant in the crease and opened up his stance which allowed Ashwin to breach through his defence. Ishant Sharma bowled a terrific spell and was involved in some healthy banters with Aussie captain Steve Smith. The verbal volleys were enjoyed by both the teams as it was done in the spirit of the game.

Umesh Yadav replaced Ishant Sharma and bowled his heart out. The right arm quickie troubled 20 years old Matt Renshaw quite a few times but was unable to get the breakthrough. He bowled in the right channels and troubled both the batsmen. Some balls didn’t jump and Smith somehow managed to get his bat in time. Despite some exceptional bowling by the hosts, it looked like that the Aussies would go to lunch with just a solitary wicket down.

With lunch just around the corner, Ravindra Jadeja who wasn’t given the ball in the opening hour delivered for his team as he removed rival captain Smith with a good delivery. The ball turned slightly and took the inside edge of Smith’s bat. Wriddhiman Saha covered a lot of ground and completed a diving catch. With a couple of wickets down, India will surely feel rejuvenated ahead of the 2nd session.

India continued to claw their way back in the match even in the 2nd session dismissing 3 Aussie batsmen without conceding too many runs. SShaun Marsh joined Renshaw in the middle after Steve’s dismissal looked in complete control of proceedings. They applied themselves very well and didn’t play any extravagant shots.

A bit of luck went Australia’s way as Shaun Marsh edged a delivery from Umesh Yadav but the captain decided to go against the review. With Shaun Marsh still at the crease, it might prove to be a big call from India. After sharing a 52 runs partnership, Renshaw was bamboozled by Ravindra Jadeja.

The left-arm tweaker set him up brilliantly. Renshaw was stepping out the crease regularly and seeing that he fired one down the leg side. The 20-year-old was in a no man’s land as wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha wiped off the bails brilliantly. Peter Handscomb joined Marsh and the duo was hardly troubled by the Indian bowlers.

Just like Renshaw, Handscomb was stepping down the wicket on a regular basis and it brought about his downfall in the end. He stepped out to flick a Ravindra Jadeja delivery but Ravichandran Ashwin completed a sensational catch at mid-wicket after juggling a bit at his first grab.

Marsh brothers now came together and looked to resurrect the innings. Kohli gave the final over before to Ishant Sharma and he didn’t disappoint. Kohli urged the crowd to cheer for Ishant and get behind him and the crowd did exactly what was needed. Marsh was dismissed on the last delivery before tea as the ball didn’t bounce much and thudded onto his pads. Replays showed the ball would have crashed onto leg stump.

The final session of the 2nd day belonged to the visitors as they lost just a solitary wicket and added some very important runs which put them 48 runs ahead of India’s first innings total. The Indian fast bowlers were pretty unlucky as they deserved much more than the couple of wickets which Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav bagged together.

Marsh was adjudged LBW by the onfield umpire but reviews suggested that the impact was outside the off stump and Marsh got away with a close shave. It was a gritty half-century by Marsh who is was selected in the Playing XI ahead of Usman Khawaja due to his abilities to play spin better.

Umesh Yadav finally got the breakthrough during the twilight of the day. It was a pretty soft dismissal considering Marsh was there at the crease for 197 deliveries. He chipped it straight to Karun Nair stationed in the mid wicket region. India should have got one more in a span of a couple of deliveries but Wriddhiman Saha missed a tough chance to dismiss Mitchell Starc.

The Aussies eventually finished the day with the score at 237/6 with the visitors leading the hosts by 48 runs. Matthew Wade and Mitchell Starc will begin proceedings on Day 3 morning. While India will like to bowl the visitors out without adding much to their overnight tally, Australia will attempt to get their lead past the century mark.

Brief Scores 

India 189 all-out (KL Rahul 90, Nathan Lyon 8/50)

Australia 237/6 (Matt Renshaw 60, Shaun Marsh 66, Ravindra Jadeja 3/49)