19 February,2023 08:35 AM IST | New Delhi | R Kaushik
Axar Patel en route his 74 against Australia at New Delhi on Saturday; (right) Nathan Lyon (centre) celebrates the wicket of KS Bharat with skipper Pat Cummins (right) on Saturday. Pics/Getty Images
Nathan Lyon and Axar Patel were the lead characters in another fascinatingly yo-yoing day of Test cricket, but it was Travis Head who fired the most important shots, in every sense of the term, as Australia moved into the ascendancy at the Arun Jaitley Stadium here.
Lyon, the large-hearted off-spinner who had a game to forget in Nagpur, reiterated his credentials with a stirring spell on Saturday's second morning of the second Test, reopening recent Indian wounds that revolve around a marked vulnerability against quality spin. In a nine-over burst of four for 21, he ripped the heart out of the Indian batting, accounting for Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul - surely now on borrowed time - as well as 100-Test man Cheteshwar Pujara (0) and Shreyas Iyer.
Hard as Virat Kohli battled in front of his adoring home fans in making a polished 44, India were well behind the eight-ball at 139 for seven in reply to Australia's 263 when Axar was joined at the batting crease by R Ashwin. The two spinners joined hands in the biggest stand of the match thus far, an invaluable 114, Axar the more dominant and imposing partner during an association that tested Pat Cummins's leadership skills to the hilt.
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For the second straight innings, Axar showcased his wondrous batting skills, eventually perishing to a stunning catch by Cummins at mid-on as the second new ball hastened the end of India's resistance. By losing three for nine in 20 balls, India surrendered a nominal one-run advantage, Axar's fluent 74 effectively countering Lyon's third five-for on Indian soil.
Australia sent out Head to partner Usman Khawaja - struggling opener David Warner was withdrawn after being hit on the helmet on Friday by Mohammed Siraj, Matt Renshaw slipping in as a concussion sub - and the left-hander responded with a series of attractive strokes that India were clueless to nullify. Their inability to staunch the flow of runs was evidenced by nine fours and one six in Australia's second-innings tally of 61 for one in just 12 overs. Armed with their new-found commitment to positivity and a lead of 62 runs, Australia are well placed to drive the advantage home unless India do something special with the ball first thing on Sunday. Their only success on the second evening came courtesy the last of a series of stunning catches - Cummins, Peter Handscomb and Renshaw had set the tone - when Iyer snapped up Khawaja at leg gully on the sweep.
India must ponder their approach against Lyon in the morning, and dissect their techniques which leave them susceptible to leg befores. Head has shown them one way of tackling spin; what do they have in store?
Brief scores
Australia 263 & 61-1 (T Head 39') v India 262 (A Patel 74, V Kohli 44, R Ashwin 37, R Sharma 32; N Lyon 5-67, T Murphy 2-53, M Kuhnemann 2-72)
