Lion- hearted batting from Axar Patel and R. Ashwin after Nathan Lyon does damage on Day 2 in second Test of BGT Series
Their partnership of 114 runs was built on guts and bold shots which may have surprised the Aussies.
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R. Ashwin and Axar Patel
It was a day of lion-hearted performances on Day Two of the second Test in the BGT Series on Saturday. If Nathan Lyon had struck massive blows early on, bowling quicker through the air to flummox the Indian batters, then the two Indian lions — Axar Patel and R. Ashwin roared at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, situated near the Ferozeshah Kotla ramparts in the Capital.
To be a lion, you need to roar, create fear. Nathan had done that with his bowling on a day when he had all in thrall with his wares. His variety was good and on a pitch where the bounce was low, the famed batters fell. It included the big names, with KL Rahul flopping again, lbw to Lyon. The number of chances which the opener has got are massive. He, obviously, has backers in the team but to leave out talented guys from the playing 11 is a crime. Maybe, Rahul’s luck will run out soon as he is in a state of ruins at present, literally.
After the one-sided nature of the contest in the first Test in Nagpur, the Aussies have shown more aggression and intent in the second Test. If their backing was better on Day 1, on Day 2 Lyon was stand-out, grabbing five wickets. Batting on the Kotla track requires skill, application and being ready for the slow, low bounce. The revelation has been how the Aussie spinners have learnt to deal with the conditions as sunshine bathed the whole arena with a decent crowd showing up.
If Lyon had caught the attention in the morning, once again the two Indian lions came out of the cage to scare the Aussies. There has never been any doubt over the batting skills of R.Ashwin, who has six Test tons but the blossoming of Axar Patel has been super duper. The left-handed batter was in smashing form. The left-right batting combination of two men who usually grab centre stage with their bowling, has been a revelation. To be sure, there has been enormous hype over Cheteshwar Pujara playing his 100th Test. He went for a blob. Rohit Sharma also flopped.
When the famed Indian batters flopped, Axar Patel and R. Ashwin blossomed
But one man who began the revival for India was former Indian captain Virat Kohli. He is a Delhiite, though TV commentators say he has played very few first class matches for Delhi in the last decade. That hardly matters, he is a West Delhi guy by nature, aggro, pumped up, though he now lives in upmarket Gurugram whenever he comes up North. Virat has always been a good player of spin. On this dicey Kotla track, where he had to get his eye in and play shots of pedigree, footwork was of essence. When he was dismissed for 44, there was a massive uproar.
Virat was unhappy with the dismissal and went back to the dressing room, muttering under his breath. He watched replays, apparently not happy with the way he was dismissed.
Then came the class act from Axar, unlucky to miss a century and Ashwin, the master under pressure. Ashwin was nightwatchman in the Nagpur Test and in Delhi he has shown he is now a genuine all-rounder. The revelation, so to say, has been Axar. Cricketing world knows that Ravindra Jadeja is dangerous with bat and ball in Test. Maybe, the Lion King moment which Axar has produced two Tests in a row catapults him now to the top of the charts.
When the famed Indian batters flopped, Axar (74) and Ashwin (37) blossomed, matching the mood, as sunshine all day was beautiful. Their partnership of 114 runs was built on guts and bold shots which may have surprised the Aussies. Just imagine, India scored 262, after the Asusies had put on 263 on the board in the first innings.
The contest gets more engrossing from here on. For Ashwin to come out and bowl the first over in the closing stages of play may have been a great ploy. If Lyon could get wickets, there is every reason the Indian spinners will be more aggressive in the Aussie second innings. At close, the Aussies are ahead by an aggregate of 62 runs for the loss of one wicket. In their second essay, Travis Head was aggressive, batting on 39 off 40 balls. Maybe, the Aussies have realized, batting too defensive will not be ideal in these conditions.
In case you missed:
Fast bowler Mohammed Shami shows his class in second Test of BGT series in New Delhi
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S Kannan
(382 Articles Published)