If 17 wickets and the supremacy of pace were Friday’s defining tales, Saturday was about the merits of patience and the virtues of old-fashioned batting. At close on the second day of the first Test here at the Optus Stadium, India muscled its way to 172 for no loss in the second innings.
It was an effort headlined by openers Yashasvi Jaiswal (90 n.o.) and K.L. Rahul (62 n.o.). The duo’s splendid partnership helped India stretch its overall lead to 218 and Australia is resigned to playing catch-up, especially after its first innings had paused at 104.
The Indian second innings had an ideal start even if Jaiswal’s initial swipe off Mitchell Starc, which just scythed through the air, caused a minor scare. His senior partner Rahul had a quick chat and soon the two settled into a nice rhythm. Jaiswal flicked Starc and cut Pat Cummins while Rahul, more sheet-anchor than quicksilver, was not averse about expressing himself.
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Australian skipper Cummins swapped his bowlers around but to no avail. Later he used Mitchell Marsh and even Marnus Labuschagne and Travis Head. With Jaiswal moving ahead, Rahul uncorked his own version of magic with a straight drive off Cummins, which was all aesthetics and geometric precision.
Even Josh Hazlewood could not dislodge the two batters and the alliance kept gaining strength.
After tea, Jaiswal etched his 50 and in a while, the openers had stretched the total to 100. There were the odd moments of disquiet like when Jaiswal, on 51, edged Starc but Usman Khawaja was slow to react, and then Rahul nearly got run-out.
The latter got to his 50 eventually and as the shadows crept upon the pitch, India still relished its batting sunshine. As if to celebrate, Jaiswal whipped and lofted Starc and Nathan Lyon respectively for sixes.
Jaiswal celebrates reaching 50 runs during day two of the First Test match in the series between Australia and India at Perth Stadium. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
Earlier, the morning gleaned its musical notes from the drums of the Bharat Army, and resuming at the overnight 67 for seven, Australia leant on Starc to delay the inevitable. But when Jasprit Bumrah dismissed Alex Carey in the day’s second over, it looked as if the host might wilt.
However, Starc had other ideas. The southpaw blocked well and farmed the strike. Even then when Harshit Rana scalped Lyon, stunning the latter with his speed to lure an edge, an Indian second innings seemed imminent. Just that Starc refused to budge and found an ally in Hazlewood.
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The tail did wag, not furiously but at a steady pace and a 25-run last-wicket partnership spilling past 100 deliveries, took shape. Mohammed Siraj, Nitish Kumar and Washington Sundar were all employed but Starc chugged on.
He pulled Harshit, indulged in some banter with his Kolkata Knight Riders’ team-mate and was also hit on the helmet by the latter. Finally, minutes before lunch, Starc (26) miscued a lofted shot off Harshit, leaving India with a first-innings lead of 46. A tally that grew through the day, and one that should help the visitor begin well in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series.
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