Australia proved to be more successful in the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy as compared to the first, with the performances of Usman Khawaja, Peter Handscomb, and Nathan Lyon helping the side notch up 263 runs in the first innings while dismantling the Indian batting attack.
In the Indian innings, after skipper Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, and Cheteshwar Pujara fell in quick succession to Nathan Lyon, it was Axar Patel who played an inspiring knock of 74 runs off 115 balls, propelling the Indian team to a score of 262. Veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin’s knock of 37 off 71 balls was also integral, as they fought back with intent.
Nathan Lyon, who was the best bowler for Australia in the first innings, praised Axar Patel and Ashwin for their ability to perform with the bat and ball, saying that they should not be counted as lower-order batters. “They are not lower order; Axar and Ash could easily bat in the top six anywhere in the world; they are not lower order; India have a long top order,” Lyon was quoted as saying.
India will now look to build on their momentum after Axar’s brilliant performance with the bat, with the aim of preventing Australia from taking a massive lead in the match. The Aussies lost their first wicket towards the end of Day 2 as Usman Khawaja was sent back to the pavilion early.
