Jadeja-Axar duo resilient after Rohit ton as India pile up significant lead on day 2

What seemed like easy sailing for the hosts at the end of day one, soon turned into a living nightmare as the Indian middle order wobbled courtesy of a phenomenal performance from debutant Australian spinner, Todd Murphy. The fifer from the youngster cast a shadow of doubt upon the Indians before a late show of resilience from Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja allowed India to extend their lead and bolster their vice on the game.

The day started at 77 for the loss of 1 for India and went forth for a decent while before Ravichandran Ashwin was left bamboozled by Murphy as India tasted the first fall of the day. The trio of Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav could contribute very little as the Indians could barely sustain the momentum in front of a roaring Todd Murphy who had some help from Nathan Lyon and Pat Cummins.

The Indian captain seemed to be in fine touch as he peppered the Australian bowlers to every nook and cranny of the park, holding the Indian innings in a piece until Ravindra Jadeja arrived. The captain’s impeccable knock propelled the hosts to a modest lead when Cummins raged through the defences of Rohit to remove him after a record-breaking120.

KS Bharat didn’t really have a debut to remember as he became the fifth victim to Murphy’s turn, paving the path for an incoming Axar Patel. Axar had a slow start to his innings considering the twists and turns that troubled the batters previously but once the initial jitters were off, it was a free-flowing assault from the lanky all-rounder.

Jadeja’s grind took a backseat as Axar showcased his hard-hitting prowess while India comfortably motored along to a healthy lead that saw Australia’s early success in the day being squashed out of contention. India finished the day at 321 for 7 that saw them securing a lead of 144 runs with Jadeja unbeaten on 66 while Axar stayed in the center for 52. A huge day lies ahead as India will eye a significant extension of the lead before they allow Australia to come out to bat again.