Second Test evenly poised as Axar Patel leads India’s batting resurgence

They say Test cricket is beautiful and who are we to refuse that? The second day of the second Test between India and Australia proved the fact that India and Australia are indeed the two top contenders who are the perfect fit for the summit clash that would witness the world’s crown at stake at Oval in June 2023.

After a cracker of an opening day in favour of India where Mohammed Shami stamped his authority on a surface that would produce some decent bounce and drift for both the pacers and spinners, the second day saw India stumbling, stuttering and then standing back up as they closed down the deficit between them and the visitors to a solitary run.

Starting the day at 21 for no loss, India shortly started feeling the heat with four of their batters packed and sent back to the pavilion for cheap. Wobbling at 66 for 4, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja chose to put a foot down and fight as they pulled off a stunning partnership between them to allow India some breathing space.

However, the job was far from over as Jadeja, Kohli and Bharat fell in quick succession, paving the path for Australia to make all possible inroads, Nathan Lyon leading the Aussie pack with a fifer.

After some topsy-turvy batting, it was Axar Patel and R Ashwin putting in their finest show of resilience to propel India to a decent stand. The duo piled on a momentous 114 runs for the 8th wicket that saw India inching close to Australia’s score of 263. However, the departure of Ashwin gave Australia the much-needed impetus and it was a matter of time before the Indian tail was mopped up.

Axar Patel smashed a brilliant 74 while Ashwin fought hard with 37 runs in his kitty, while Virat Kohli also looked in fine touch earlier in the innings as he managed to score a well-constructed 44. India finished their first innings at 262.

Leading by 1 run, Australia have begun their second innings in typical aggressive fashion. The visitors have managed to score 61 runs by the end of day’s play at more than 5 runs per over.