Ravichandran Ashwin takes six wickets to help India bowl out Australia for 480 in the first innings of the fourth Test match of the Border Gavaskar Trophy.
Ravichandran Ashwin, who helped the home team limit Australia to 480 in their first innings, standout out for India on the second day of the fourth Test match. Axar Patel also managed to get one wicket, removing dangerous Khawaja at a crucial point of the match. India scored 36 runs without losing a wicket by the end of day two, but they still trail Australia by a huge 446 runs margin.
Day 2 Summary
After resuming the game on Day 2 with the overnight total of 255/4, Khawaja and Cameron Green continued to bat confidently as they added an additional 123 runs to strengthen Australia’s position. Playing his maiden Test innings in India, Cameron Green smashed a brilliant century before being dismissed by Ashwin, who also dismissed Alex Carey and Mitchell Starc in quick succession.
Usman Khawaja, who had a fantastic performance for the Australian team, scoring 180 off 422 balls, was removed by Axar Patel after Tea. Before Ashwin returned and claimed the final two wickets to cap Australia’s total at 480, Todd Murphy and Nathan Lyon added a further 70 runs.
After bundling out Australia for 480 in the first innings, Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma ensured that India finished Day 2 without losing a wicket. At the time of stumps, India had 36/0 and was 446 runs behind Australia. Gill and Rohit were both undefeated at 18 and 17, respectively.
Day 1 Summary
Australia decided to bat and at the end of Day 1 had 255/4 in 90 overs. Usman Khawaja scored a magnificent century, smashing an undefeated 104 runs off 251 balls that included 15 fours. The Australian opener was at the top of his game and gave his team a promising start with Travis Head.
In the end, Ravichandran Ashwin dismissed Head for 32 runs, giving India the much- needed breakthrough. Marnus Labuschagne struggled to make an impact and was quickly removed for three off 20 balls. After Labuschagne, Smith, and Khawaja partnered well, scoring 38 runs off 135 balls before Smith was ultimately dismissed by Ravindra Jadeja.
Peter Handscomb appeared composed early on, but Mohammed Shami’s perfect delivery prompted him to drop his wicket for just 17 runs. After Handscomb, all-rounder Cameron Green helped Australia regain its composure by combining well with Khawaja, who reached his century before the stumps.
Can India overcome the Australian team one more time at home?
India has a lot riding on this game since they’re trying to get into the World Test Championship Final. If India wins the fourth Test, they will join Australia in the WTC finals, which will be played at The Oval in June. The India batter will resume their fight for the WTC spot tomorrow when they will face the fierce Australian spinners.
Even a loss won’t ruin India’s prospects of qualifying, but much will depend on the result of the Test series between Sri Lanka and New Zealand, which also began on Thursday. Australia, on the other side, will try to maintain its winning streak and wrap out the series evenly.