India vs Australia 1st Test: India shut out for 105, 7 wickets for 11 runs
Pune: India were left to climb a difficult mountain after they collapsed to 105 in their first innings of the first Test match against Australia at the Maharashtra Cricket Stadium here on Friday.
Australia who were bowled out for 260 in their first innings were 143/4 at stumps on Day Two, stretching their overall lead to 298 on a rank turner. The dangerous Steve Smith was unbeaten on 59 in 117 balls.
Steve O’Keefe emerged an unlikely hero for the Aussies. The left-arm spinner picked up a career-best 6/35 and his first five-for. Incidentally all the O’Keefe wickets came within an hour in the post lunch session as India slipped from 94/3 to 105, conceding a healthy lead of 155 runs on this wicket.
The mayhem started in the 33rd over, the eighth after lunch. K.L. Rahul who raised his second Test fifty in 84 balls and also showed signs of recovery with a 50-run partnership with Ajinkya Rahane for the fourth wicket played a reckless shot, charging down to O’Keefe and skying it to David Warner.
Rahul, who took some risks, top scored with 64 in 97 balls studded with 10 boundaries and a six. It gave India a chance after Mitchell Starc (2/38) dismissed Cheteshwar Pujara (6) and Virat Kohli (0) inside three balls to reduce India to 44/3.
Pujara gloved a high rising delivery to wicketkeeper Matthew Wade while Kohli chased a full pitched wide delivery and offered an outside edge to his counterpart Smith at first slip. Murali Vijay (10) was dismissed by Josh Hazlewood in his first over. The Aussies introduced spin from both ends for the first time and it brought results in the first over itself. O’Keefe struck second time in an over by dismissing Rahane (13) as Peter Handscomb took a ripper at second slip and later Wriddhiman Saha (0) also perished at slip in same over.
The hosts slipped further as Ravichandran Ashwin (1) perished in the next over to Nathan Lyon. India lost four wickets in eight balls and O’Keefe polished off the tail in quick time.
Earlier, resuming at 256/9, Starc was out in the first over of the day to Ashwin, holing a slog sweep to Ravindra Jadeja at deep midwicket as the Aussie innings folded for 260 in 94.5 overs. Starc made 61 while Ashwin finished with 3/63.
Ashwin removed openers Warner (10) and Shaun Marsh (0) quickly in the second innings but Smith and Handscomb took Australia to 46/2 at tea to end the maniac mid session which saw nine wickets falling.
Handscomb became Ashwin’s third victim but Smith, given a couple of chances, kept motoring on. Matthew Renshaw also rode on his luck to almost replicate what he did in the first innings.
Smith raised his 21st Test fifty and also completed 1,000 runs against India. Renshaw (31) holed to deep but by then the fourth wicket partnership had produced 52 crucial runs and Aussies were already 268 runs ahead. India wasted both reviews on Mitchell Marsh but the all-rounder was batting on 21 with his skipper in an unfinished stand of 30 runs.
