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Everyone’s still raving about Usman Khawaja’s epic 180 yesterday. It was the third-highest Test score by an Australian in India, behind only Dean Jones’s courageous 210 in the Tied Test in Chennai in 1986 and Matthew Hayden’s 203, also in Chennai in 2001.
Haydos has already told us plenty about the latter in his TV commentary so, as we wait for the players to take the field, let’s revisit Deano’s incredible knock – his first Test century in just his third Test and “one of the greatest ever played”…
For those who came in late, here’s how Geoff Lemon saw Day 2…
Preamble
Greetings cricket fans, welcome back to Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad for the fourth Test between India and Australia in the 2023 Border-Gavaskar series. Angus Fontaine here with you for Day Three, and what a day it promises to be.
Normal Test cricket has resumed here in India. After three Tests of bewitched pitches, sideways spin and ruinous batting collapses, bat is now dominating ball. The proof was in the pounding India’s bowlers took at the soft hands of Usman Khawaja, who took his overnight 104 to a magnificent 180 from 422 balls, and Cameron Green, who cantered from 49 to 114 to clinch a maiden Test century.
Together they put on 208 runs, the second-highest stand for Australia in India after the 222 Kim Hughes and Allan Border put on at Chennai in 1979. Even when both departed, stubborn tail-gunner resistance from Nathan Lyon (34) and Todd Murphy (41) clawed Australia to a total of 480. Inspired by the heroic efforts yet again of Ravi Ashwin who took 6 for 91, India’s openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill then survived 10 overs to start Day Three at 36-0.
It’s a bright beginning India must turn into a blaze of runs if they are to rebound from their nine-wicket defeat at Indore and win this Test to lock themselves a finals berth at the World Test Championship in London in a few months time. Standing in their way is an Australia team who have rediscovered their character, and a plucky Sri Lanka side chasing a 2-0 series victory over New Zealand to leap-frog India into the WTC final against Australia.
So plenty to play for. And plenty of star power to play for it.
Can India skipper Rohit Sharma conjure another century like his match-turner in the first Test? And will Virat Kohli rediscover form? Not long ago he was the game’s No 1 batter and averaging 55 but since the start of 2020 “King Kohli” is averaging under 27, hasn’t scored a Test century in three years and has slid to #20 in the ICC batting rankings. Is today his day?
For Australia, most hopes lie with match-winners Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon. With Pat Cummins home on compassionate leave after the passing of his mother yesterday, Starc will have only Cameron Green as seam support. Lyon, the hero of the Indore victory with 11 wickets, has two Sundance Kids riding with him in Todd Murphy and Matt Kuhnemann. Can these three amigos spin Australia to that rarest of feats: consecutive victories in India?
We’ll find out shortly so buckle ‘em up and batten ‘em down.
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