Ravi Ashwin. (Photo Source: Disney + Hotstar)
After getting bowled out for only 109 runs in the first innings of the ongoing third Test in Indore, India needed a strong start with the ball but Australia gave them no chance whatsoever. The Steve Smith-led side finished Day 1 with a lead of 47 runs and were in the driver’s seat but on Day 2, the Indian bowlers looked dominant and picked wickets one after the other.
Peter Handscomb, who was looking dangerous in the middle, was slowly building a partnership with Cameron Green, when veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin got the better of him with a peach of a delivery. Bowling around the stumps, Ashwin bowled a fuller delivery that hit the edge of Handscomb’s bat and it was a regulation catch for Shreyas Iyer at short fine leg.
SHARP CATCH! 🥳@ashwinravi99 breaks through with a peach of a delivery and gets Handscomb. 😮
Tune-in to LIVE action in the Mastercard #INDvAUS Test on Star Sports & Disney+Hotstar! #BelieveInBlue #TestByFire #Cricket pic.twitter.com/2R0wX07wt8
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) March 2, 2023
With that, the 31-year-old was sent back to the pavilion for 19 and soon after that, Australia’s batting order collapsed.
Australia lead by 88 runs after first innings
Soon after Handscomb was dismissed, Green too was sent back to the pavilion rather cheaply. They eventually lost six wickets for just 11 runs as the Steve Smith-led side posted 197 runs on the board after the end of the first innings. Speedster Umesh Yadav was sensational in the first session of the day as the 35-year-old picked up three wickets, while giving away just 11 runs in his five overs.
Other than Umesh, Ravichandran Ashwin too looked really impressive on Day 2. The spin wizard picked up three as Australia’s lower order was completely bamboozled.
Even so, Australia will be relatively happy with a healthy lead of 88 runs under their belt. Their spin duo of Matthew Kuhnemann and Nathan Lyon was fantastic on the opening day and the management would hope for a similar performance to keep India under pressure and restrict them to a low score in order to make a comeback in the iconic Border-Gavaskar series.
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