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Boland takes four wickets, and Pant's big hits keep SCG Test even
Boland takes four wickets, and Pant's big hits keep SCG Test even
India snatched a four-run first-innings lead, later Rishabh smashed the fastest fifty in just 29 balls.
On the second day of lunch break, Rohit Sharma cleared everything up by saying he was only out for the Sydney test and not yet retiring from test cricket. Right after the break, Jasprit Bumrah, who had taken over as captain from Rohit, left the SCG for scans. Around that time, Australia had lost half their batting lineup, and the match – along with the series – was hanging in the balance. Even without Bumrah, India managed to grab a narrow four-run lead in the first innings, turning the Sydney Test into a close second-innings battle.
Rishabh Pant pushed India further ahead with an incredible half-century off just 29 balls. It was the second-fastest fifty by an Indian in Test cricket, just behind his 28-ball record against Sri Lanka in 2022. After Scott Boland tore through India’s top order with sharp and accurate bowling, Pant fought back and entertained a lively crowd of 47,257 at the SCG. However, the late dismissals of Pant and Nitish Kumar Reddy left the match evenly poised, with India leading by 145 runs at the end of the day.
Australia could gain the upper hand in the second innings if Bumrah isn’t fit to bowl for the rest of the Test.
However, India’s backup bowlers performed brilliantly on day two. Prasidh Krishna and Nitish Kumar Reddy shared five wickets between them. Together, India’s seamers – excluding Bumrah – took 8 wickets for 132 runs, their best performance in any innings during this tour.
Reddy took two wickets in two balls, while Prasidh made an impressive Test comeback by dismissing Steven Smith, Alex Carey, and debutant Beau Webster. Webster was Australia’s top scorer with 57 off 105 balls.
Webster’s strong debut continued as he became the first Australian since Adam Voges in 2015 to score a half-century in his first Test match.
Earlier in the day, Bumrah dismissed Marnus Labuschagne for 2 and gave a cold stare to non-striker Sam Konstas. With that wicket, Bumrah passed Bishen Singh Bedi’s record for the most wickets by an Indian bowler during a tour of Australia.
Sam Konstas fought back with the bat, stepping out to hit Bumrah straight down the ground for four. When Bumrah brought in the deep third fielder to strengthen the slip cordon, Konstas responded with a bold reverse-ramp shot, forcing Bumrah to place a fielder at deep third.
However, in the next over, Mohammed Siraj had Konstas caught at gully for 23 off 57 balls with an outswinger. Three balls later, Siraj struck again, dismissing Travis Head at second slip for 4. Unlike Bumrah and the Australian pacers, who focused on hitting the pitch hard, Siraj used swing to trouble the batters, consistently bowling fuller to take advantage of it.
Steven Smith and Beau Webster steadied Australia with a 57-run partnership for the fifth wicket. Smith looked set to reach 10,000 Test runs, but just before lunch, Prasidh Krishna switched to a fuller length and dismissed him for 95, five short of the milestone.
In the afternoon, Prasidh continued his fine spell by bowling Alex Carey with a similar delivery. Reddy added to Australia’s troubles by removing Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc, causing Australia to lose their last four wickets for just 19 runs, getting bowled out for 181.
India’s second innings began in style with Yashasvi Jaiswal attacking Mitchell Starc, hitting him for four boundaries in the first over. KL Rahul also batted aggressively, but Scott Boland once again stepped up, slowing India’s fast start.
In his second over, Scott Boland struck by getting KL Rahul to chop an incoming delivery onto his stumps. In his next over, he bowled Yashasvi Jaiswal with a brilliant ball that angled in towards middle stump and then seamed away to hit the top of off. Boland continued his hot streak by dismissing Virat Kohli for 6, caught behind once again. It was the eighth time Kohli edged out to the keeper or slips in nine innings during this Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Frustrated, Kohli shouted at himself and even punched his leg.
Beau Webster claimed his first Test wicket by having Shubman Gill caught behind off an inside edge.
On day one, Rishabh Pant played a patient knock, scoring 40 off 98 balls. But on day two, his aggressive self returned. Right after Kohli’s dismissal, Pant charged at his first ball from Boland and smashed it over mid-on for six. Two balls later, he attempted a reverse ramp but missed – yet he didn’t hold back his attacking style.
Pant went after Webster, hitting him for three consecutive fours, including his signature falling sweep-pull shot. He brought up his fifty with a helicopter-style six off Mitchell Starc and followed it with another six immediately after.
Pant’s explosive hitting forced Australia to bowl defensive, T20-style lines and lengths. Pat Cummins bowled short and wide to keep the ball out of Pant’s reach, but Pant chased one and edged it to the keeper. Boland then dismissed Nitish Kumar Reddy for 4, wrapping up a day where 15 wickets fell at the SCG.
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