New Delhi: Australia’s left-handed opener Usman Khawaja was precise in his footwork and pristine in strokeplay to hit an unbeaten fifty. But India bounced back with triple strikes to leave Australia at 94/3 in 25 overs at lunch on day one of the second Test at Arun Jaitley Stadium on Friday.
On a pitch which gave spinners plenty of turn, bounce and grip, Australia survived a fiery opening spell from Mohammed Siraj for a 50-run opening partnership. But India came back courtesy Ravichandran Ashwin and Mohammed Shami to get three wickets at the end of first session on day one.
After Shami conceded four byes down leg on the first ball of the session, he had Warner trapped lbw. But the left-handed batter immediately took a review and was saved as replays showed the inside edge.
Khawaja, on the other hand, was off the mark with a nice glance on an overpitched delivery off Mohammed Siraj. He then made use of fuller balls from Shami by hitting two boundaries through the vacant space in the off-side.
Warner was kept on a tight leash by Ravichandran Ashwin bowling from round the wicket. Though he was using his feet to counter the ace off-spinner, Warner was still all at sea as Ashwin found turn, bounce and grip. But he managed to get off the mark on his 21st delivery.
While Warner punched Siraj through the gap at cover, Khawaja was delightful in dancing down the pitch to loft Ashwin over mid-off for six. Though Shami and Siraj asked tough questions of the openers, Khawaja and Warner managed to get a couple of boundaries as the 50-run partnership of the opening stand came.
But shortly after that, Warner’s 44-ball vigil ended as Shami, coming in from round the wicket, got the left-handed batter forward and found some movement to draw the outside edge and keeper KS Bharat took the catch to his left.
Khawaja was proficient in sweeping as well as bringing the reverse-sweep and slog-sweep, taking boundaries off Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. Marnus Labuschagne began with an eye-catchy leaning drive off Shami and then whipped off Ashwin as well as swept off Jadeja.
But in the 23rd over, Ashwin struck twice in three balls. Labuschagne was first to fall, as Ashwin got an off-break delivery to spin in and beat the right-hander’s inside edge to trap him lbw in front of middle stump.
He then closed the over by trapping Smith with a slider which the right-handed batter tried to meet by coming forward, but gave a low catch behind to Bharat. Khawaja got to overturn an lbw decision off Jadeja and reached his fifty in the final over before lunch.
Brief Scores: Australia 94/3 in 25 overs (Usman Khawaja 50; Ravichandran Ashwin 2/29) against India
–IANS