India maintained their domination on the second day of the first Test against Australia thanks to a much-needed century from captain Rohit Sharma and impressive half-centuries from Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel. At the end of Day 2, India had a score of 321 for 7, establishing a sizable lead of 144 runs over the visitors.
Australia did a good job with the ball, picking off wickets at regular intervals, but India remained in control throughout the day as they managed to form some efficient partnerships. To stop India’s momentum, Todd Murphy picked a five- wicket haul, but other bowlers failed to assist him with the same caliber and performance.
Rohit took charge and solidified India’s supremacy with his world-class century
Indian skipper Rohit Sharma demonstrated the utmost level of class and control against a strong Australian bowling attack to score his ninth Test century and lead India to a decent total. The captain took off his helmet to relish in the cheers after defying the spinners to complete his hundred.
On a wicket where batsmen from both teams appeared to be crumbling owing to either the low bounce or poor shot execution, Rohit appeared to be batting at a completely different level. He began his inning with 56 runs and added a crucial 64 runs on the second day before being bowled out by Pat Cummin’s ferocious delivery on the score of 120. He shared a crucial sixth-wicket partnership with Jadeja, who continued to bat steadily after Rohit left to score a brilliant fifty runs knock.
With this century, Indian captain Rohit Sharma has now scored centuries in each of the three international cricket forms, both as a batsman and as the leader. He is the first Indian captain to accomplish this feat and the first cricketer in history to make a hundred in T20I, Test, and ODI as both a player and captain.
With a brilliant half-century, Ravindra Jadeja sets an incredible test record
Ravindra Jadeja, who was the standout performer on Day 1 with a stunning 5- wicket haul, put on another stellar performance against Australia. The Indian all- rounder put on a show for Nagpur’s audience, hitting a magnificent half-century on the second day to take India to total 0f 321.
After taking five wickets and scoring fifty in a Test match for the fifth time, Jadeja now leads the list of Indian players with a similar milestone to their names, topping Kapil Dev, who had accomplished the feat four times in his illustrious career.
Dharamsala is in doubt to host the third Test
While the first two days of the Nagpur Test for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy have been successful, things are not looking good for Dharamsala, the hosts of the third Test of the much awaited series.
According to a report, the third game may be moved from HPCA Stadium to a different venue as the stadium has just undergone renovations and is not yet ready to host an international event. One of the most magnificent cricket stadiums in the world, the HPCA stadium, only held one Test in 2017 between India and Australia.
Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) is racing against time to get the stadium outfield match-ready for the third Test, which starts on March 1. The Board of Control for Cricket in India will make a final decision following an inspection, but they have already created a list of locations in case Dharmsala is unable to receive approval. The list includes cities like Visakhapatnam, Rajkot, Pune, and Indore.