India vs Australia, 2nd Test: Tourists lose four wickets on Day 2 but extend lead in third session

Add as a preferred source on Google

Melbourne, Dec 27: Ajinkya Rahane completed his 23rd half-century and led his team from the front as Team India reached 189/5 in 63.3 overs at tea break on day two of the second Test match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Sunday (December 27).

India now trail Australia by 6 runs as they dominated the second session of the day's play as they scored quickly and put pressure on the Australian bowlers. India lost the wickets of Hanuma Vihari (21) and Rishabh Pant (29) in this session but also scored runs at a quicker pace to reduce the deficit.

Captain Rahane showed great composure and forged back-to-back fifty-plus partnerships with Vihari and Pant before a passing shower forced the umpires to call for an early tea. India would be disheartened with the fact that they lost Pant at the stroke of tea break.

Rahane (53*) and Ravindra Jadeja (4*) were present into the middle when the covers were brought into the middle and they would be looking to take a good lead in the first innings.

Meanwhile, Starc became the fastest Australian bowler to 250 Test wickets in terms of bowls being bowled. Pant was Starc's 250th victim as he dismissed the left-handed batsman on his 11976th delivery in his Test career. Starc is the ninth Aussie batsman to enter the illustrious club.

Earlier in the day, Aussies bagged the important wickets of debutant Shubman Gill and Cheteshwar Pujara as they dominated the first session of the second day's play.

At lunch, on day two India were 90 for the loss of three wickets, with captain Ajinkya Rahane (10 not out) and Hanuma Vihari (13 not out) showing some resistance to the star-studded Australian pace attack.

Pat Cummins was the star for the Aussies as the right-arm pacer picked up the wickets of Gill (45) and Pujara (17) in quick succession and pushed the hosts on the wall. Both Gill and Pujara (the overnight batsmen) were caught behind by wicketkeeper Tim Paine. While young Gill paid the price for going after the ball, Pujara was outfoxed by a brilliant delivery which swung slightly but was enough to brush past his bat and Paine took a brilliant one-handed catch diving towards his right.

The scorecard read 64 for three when Pujara departed and the Aussies had managed to get the wicket of the man who had troubled them a lot on the previous tour. Later, Rahane and Vihari held the fort and batted cautiously against the likes of Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon - who was only introduced at the stroke of lunch.

In the 26 overs bowled in the morning session of Day 2, India could only score 54 runs at slightly more than 2 per over but it was the loss of important wickets which took the session away from them. It was the first session of the match which the Australians dominated.

Post lunch, the Aussies would be looking to break the partnership between Rahane and Vihari. Together the duo has added 26 runs and weathered 80 deliveries, but in the second session they would be hoping to add some more runs on the board along with offering some resistance.