Great bowling by the Indian team on day 2! Virat Kohli and the whole fans should be proud of the Indian bowling unit, who came up with an exceptional performance. 10 wickets and 229 runs on day one beats 6 wickets and 197 runs on day two. Having said that, Indian bowlers created lot of chances and Aussies had to fight and graft their lead, which is now extended to 48 runs with 4 wickets in hand.
When such a fight goes on between the two sides, who would be worried about pitch conditions, definitely not me. Ashwin has bowled 41 overs for just 1 wicket and Umesh Yadav got his first wicket after bowling 21 overs. Ishant Sharma was asking questions almost 2 balls in each of the overs that he has bowled so far. Jadeja comes and picks the wicket so easily, after the other 3 bowlers dries up the runs. This is tremendous team effort.
My heart goes out to Renshaw. According to me, he played one of the greatest test innings in this modern cricketing times. Technique was exemplary and he had a smile on his face while he was facing a hostile bowling attack. Warner got out to a beauty from Ashwin and Smith got out when he took Jadeja's bowling lightly. Aussies were showing such grit and determination, even indian supporters applauded every individual fifties and 50 run partnerships of Aussie batsmen.
Kohli did a brilliant job of keeping his 4 bowlers fresh for their spells, by switching them at regular intervals. I felt, he missed a trick by not having enough men in the slip cordon for Ashwin and Umesh yadav. But, he was always fighting for a combination of attacking and defensive fielding positions as Indians had put on only 189 runs in their first innings.
The second person, whose effort might go unnoticed is Wridhimann Saha. He was brilliant behind the stumps. The attempt to catch the edge from Mitchel starc was treat for the eyes. We wish every half chance to be taken easily so that we have our nose ahead all the time. That's the beauty of Test cricket. It pushes you to do something spectacular, time and again. If Kohli would have had 2 slips for Umesh Yadav, may be it would have been an easy catch for the 1st slip. All said and done, great 2 days of Test cricket. And of course, Shaun Marsh's contributions was vital, but he had his chances too.
Test cricket needs characters like Steve Smith, Ishant Sharma and Virat Kohli, who made the day 2 lively for all the followers. As if the contest between the bat and the ball was not enough, Ishant and Smith started mimicking each other and nobody could draw a line. Virat and Smith exchanged words and Umpires could do nothing, as the captains themselves were involved. The Cameras on the ground captured every facial expression of the cricketers and it was funny, definitely not for the players, but for the crowd.
On Day 3, Indians have to come and get aussies all out as soon as possible, keeping a steady check on the first innings lead. Whichever team bats well in the second innings would go on to win the test match. Both the teams so far, has stuck to the formula of defense to build their innings. May be attack is the best form of defense in this pitch. It would be great to watch, as to how Virat Kohli goes about his second innings in this wicket. My gut feel says that Ravindra Jadeja's contribution with the bat in the second innings would prove vital for India's chances to win this test match. His batting style is also aggressive and he might push the lead beyond what aussies might look for.
Day 3 is the moving day of a test match and it is evenly poised as of now.....
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