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Very sad news today – heartfelt condolences from the OBO to Pat Cummins, whose mother Maria passed away in Sydney. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Cummins clan. The Australian team will take the field in Ahmedabad today wearing black armbands in their honour.
For those who came in late, here’s how Geoff Lemon saw Day One…
Preamble
Namaste cricket fans! Welcome back to Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad for day two of the fourth Test between India and Australia in the 2023 Border-Gavaskar series. I’m Angus Fontaine and I’ll be calling the action for you for the next few hours.
India lead the series 2-1 but Australia won the battle yesterday, thanks to Usman Khawaja’s sublime unbeaten century – his 14th in Tests and the first by an Australian in this series. The 36-year-old opener got good support from Travis Head, Steve Smith and Cameron Green who resumes today on 49 alongside Khawaja on 104 and Australia sitting pretty at 255-4.
India looked frazzled yesterday. After a surreal and protracted lap of honour for India Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australia PM Anthony Albanese, Rohit Sharma’s men bowled loosely and Travis Head merrily put them to the sword. Given a life on 7 by wicketkeeper KS Bharat, Head walloped 32 before wobbling a catch to Ravi Jadeja. Marnus Labuschagne inside-edged onto his stumps soon after, and Steve Smith – the subject of growing retirement rumours – did likewise for 38. At that stage, it was anyone’s game.
But after Peter Handscomb blazed brightly and briefly, 59-Test veteran Khawaja and 19-Test wunderkind Green stylishly steered Australia to safety and, ultimately ascendency in this Test.
In Australia’s last two Test tours of India, Khawaja couldn’t make the XI, derided for averaging 14.62 from five Tests in Asia and written off as a bunny against spin. But Khawaja jolted that perception with 85 and 141 v Pakistan in Dubai in 2018, and then squashed it on the tour of Pakistan last year by peeling off 160, 44 not out, 91 and 104 not out in the land of his birth.
Here in India, after being dismissed on the third ball of the series for 0, the Islamabad-born, Sydney-raised Queenslander has been Australia’s most reliable batter, with 81 in Delhi and 60 in Indore. Yesterday’s 104* was his masterpiece. Khawaja survived 251 deliveries (the longest innings of the series) and hit 15 fours to become the leading run-scorer on both sides.
After averaging 14.62 in his first five Tests in Asia, Khawaja now averages 74.60 from 11 Tests since. Since his his return to the Test side last year, he has stroked 1532 runs at 69.63 in 16 Tests. Nobody in world cricket has accumulated more runs in the last 14 months. And did we mention that Khawaja also now boasts the highest batting average for an opener in Test history with 68.38?
But enough from me. Here’s someone who sings Usman Tariq Khawaja’s praises far more eloquently…
English (US)