published by, Akash Biswas
Last Update: March 10, 2023, 15:01 IST
4097 arrive on Australia Tea (AP Photo)
Australia scored 409 for seven at tea on the second day of the fourth Test here on Friday after Cameron Green and Usman Khawaja starred.
Cameron Green brought up his maiden century while Usman Khawaja came close to a double as Australia were in control at 409 for seven at tea on the second day of the fourth Test here on Friday.
Green, the towering 6 ft 8 in all-rounder, who had missed the first two Tests due to finger surgery, played an attractive 114 off 170 balls. There were 18 fours in his innings.
More importantly, he let Khawaja (180 bat, 421 balls) play his game for a 208-run fifth-wicket stand that put Australia in a strong position.
After back-to-back barren sessions, Ravichandran Ashwin (4/83 in 41 overs) picked up three wickets for India but with Khawaja at the crease, a total of over 450 is on the cards.
Only 62 runs were added during the post-lunch session and this was due to the softness of the second new ball.
Green, who punched Jadeja through cover point to complete his maiden Test century, was dismissed by Kona Bharath on a smart reflex catch on the leg-side in what was otherwise a forgettable outing.
Alex Carey (0) was a victim of sitting on the pads for nearly 60 overs while Mitchell Struck did not last long.
Khawaja, however, was in no rush as he added only one four in his last 20 during the session.
In the morning, Khawaja continued his grind as Green mixed attack with defense scoring 92 runs during one session.
The Indian bowling unit struggled for a long time on a decent batting track as the Australians dictated their terms both in attack as well as on the defensive front.
Not once did the batsmen see any trouble on a track that has remained firm and is showing no distinct signs of wear and tear.
After scoring a ton of runs with the second new ball on the first evening, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma could not afford to set an aggressive field as he had to stem the flow of runs.
Hence deep point, deep square leg and deep fine leg were employed to stop the boundary count. But with the left-right pair at the crease, the bowlers had to vary lengths as both kept the scoreboard ticking.
For the second day in a row, Umesh Yadav (0/105 in 25 overs) was careless and paid the price as Green launched on a juicy full-toss and half-volley, driving him past the mid-off fielder.
Against Ashwin, he got on the backfoot and went through the point region.
Mohammed Shami (2/102 in 28 overs) tried the bouncer strategy but the slowness of the track allowed Green to play pull shots all the time.
Khawaja, at the other end, didn’t seem to be deterred from his plans despite batting on century plus as he edged Yadav from his hips to the square leg boundary, forcing him past the vacant slip area.
150 came with Shami’s pull shot and the expressions of the Indian players were palpable.
It also didn’t help that Kona Bharat, who was highly rated by this team management, had another dreadful day behind the stumps. His technique looked a bit poor when facing the spinners as he was getting up too early.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)
