On the opening day of the third Test against Australia at the Holkar Cricket Ground in Indore, India has been put on the back foot. Choosing to bat first after winning his first series toss, captain Rohit Sharma. The choice, however, backfired as India was dismissed for just 109 in the second session.
On an extremely spinner-friendly pitch, Australian hitters responded with great effort and frustrated Indian bowlers. Usman Khawaja, the team’s opener, once again rose to the occasion and performed admirably, playing an excellent knock and scoring a fantastic 60 to assist his team to surpass India’s total. When he attempted his signature sweep stroke in the final session, Ravindra Jadeja finally disqualified him after finding Shubman Gill at deep square leg. Despite the fact that it was Khawaja’s third wicket of the day, Jadeja had done his job by providing his team with a strong start.
The Southpaw continued his strong play in the third Test, scoring an impressive 81 in the first innings of the second Test in Delhi. India was confused earlier in the day by the spin team of Nathan Lyon and Matthew Kuhnemann. Rohit Sharma was able to survive twice in Mitchell Starc’s opening over, but Kuhnemann came to Australia’s aid by getting the Indian skipper out by getting him out stumped.
Seven runs later, he also got rid of Shubman Gill, dealing India their second setback. India raced from 34/1 to 45/5 in just five overs thanks to quick bowling from Nathan Lyon, who also removed Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravindra Jadeja. Lyon obtained 3/35 in 11.2 overs and Kahneman concluded his tenure with 5/16 in 9 overs. India was bowled out for 109 in under 34 overs as a result.
Australia had a 47-run lead after the first innings and ended Day 1 on 156/4. After losing Travis Head in the second over, Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne helped the Australians maintain their balance. Together, they scored 96 runs, leaving Australia only one run short of India’s first-inning total. As he had done throughout the series, Ravindra Jadeja picked up all four of India’s wickets. Day 2 of the Test will require Team India to bowl furiously if they want to mount a comeback.
