NEW DELHI: Opening duo Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul ground down a flagging Australian attack, forced to be on the field on back-to-back days, to take India to 172/0 in their second innings as the tourists reached a position of dominance to lead by 218 runs on Day 2 of the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at Perth’s Optus Stadium.
Jaiswal and Rahul also became the first Indian opening pair to score 100 runs in Australia in Tests in the last 20 years.
Talking on 7Cricket, India’s assistant coach Abhishek Nayar explained what prompted India’s turnaround after being bowled out for 150 in the first innings.
Nayar says, “I think in the first innings there was a lot more assistance for the fast bowlers and I also felt with Yashasvi playing his first game in Australia, getting a bit of feedback, had a few conversations after the first innings, try to evaluate and work around our gameplan and I felt in the second innings we left a lot more balls and we were a lot more prepared to play a longer innings.”
On being asked how captain and pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah motivated the Indian players in the dressing room after 150 all out, Nayar said, “Well I think when the team is always in trouble it’s the leadership group that always comes in, Gauti bhai (Gautam Gambhir), Bumrah, I think the talk was all about the belief. When we played at the WACA, we had a great preparation camp and we realized that if you can hit the right areas in Australia, specially in Perth, you can get assistance and we knew with the kind of attack we had, if we got early wickets, things could happen, captain stepped up, picked up those 3 wickets, got the momentum going, sometimes you just need the rub of the green and I thought we had it our way.”
On captain Rohit Sharma joining the squad in Perth, Nayar said, “We’re very hopeful that he’ll be here soon, he’ll start his preparations and hope to see him soon.”
After a duck in the first innings, Jaiswal reached his fourth Test in the second innings with a six.
Jaiswal and Rahul also registered the first Indian 200+ opening stand in Australia, before Rahul fell for 77.
India dominated Day 2 of the Test thanks to Jaiswal and Rahul, taking advantage of a significant change in the nature of the pitch from Day 1.
With the sun blazing down on it, the surface has flattened out significantly from a spicy green seamer where it was darting around everywhere.
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In the last session of the day, a few deliveries remained low, though, suggesting that the bounce is already variable.
Thwarting Australia, Rahul and Jaiswal batted two whole sessions increasing India’s lead to 218 at Stumps on Day 2.
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