IND vs AUS: Peter Handscomb pulls off stunning catch to send Shreyas Iyer packing

Australia’s Peter Handscomb pulled off an absolute stunner as he claimed a rather tricky catch to send Indian middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer packing in the ongoing second Test. Rohit Sharma-led team India and World No. 1 Test side Australia are currently playing the second of the four-match Test series at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. 

As the Aussies managed to get a score of 263 runs on the board, team India had a shaky start to their batting innings as the side lost four wickets in the first session, before Lunch. In the midst of the batting innings, Nathan Lyon picked up the vital scalp of Shreyas Iyer courtesy of a magnificent grab by Handscomb.

Very good catch by Peter Handscomb in IND vs AUS 2nd test match #IndVsAus2023 #IndvsAus2ndtest #BGT2023 #BGT23 pic.twitter.com/jNYjnqBixL

— sportsliveresults (@Ashishs92230255) February 18, 2023

Iyer’s slight flick off Lyon’s delivery saw Handscomb, who was fielding at the short leg, right next to the batter, claim a rather difficult catch. Initially, the ball hit his forearm and rolled up as Handscomb narrowly got hold of it, tied with a bit of luck, which sent Iyer back to the dugout in utter disbelief scoring mere four runs from 15 balls.

Nathan Lyon hands Aussies the much-needed momentum 

The home side lost four wickets in the first session of Day 2, and veteran spinner Lyon claimed all the four wickets in the contest. Lyon got the scalps of skipper Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Iyer as Australia claimed an upper hand. 

It is worth noting that Pujara took the field on the occasion of his 100th Test for the national side, and became the 13th Indian player to appear in 100 Tests. However, his impact was not quite felt in the first innings as he was dismissed for a seven-ball duck, but he will look to come all guns blazing in the second innings to score the vital runs. 

Meanwhile, after handing India a 1-0 lead in the Nagpur Test, the Aussies will aim to put up a tough fight and level the series. Adding to this, a berth in the summit clash of the World Test Championship 2021-23 cycle is up for grabs, and both sides are the leading contenders, which makes the red-ball contest a crucial one.