2nd Test: Head & bowlers put Australia in total control as India land in big trouble

Adelaide (The Uttam Hindu): Australia's fast bowlers scythed through India's top order in the third session to leave them at 128/5 in 24 overs to be 29 runs behind the hosts at stumps on day two of the second Test at Adelaide Oval on Saturday.

With Rishabh Pant and Nitish Kumar Reddy unbeaten on 28 and 15 respectively, the onus will be on the duo to pull India out of trouble and save them from a likely defeat. The foundation for Australia’s dominating day was laid by Travis Head smashing a blistering 140 off 141 balls on his home ground, as the hosts made 337 to take a 152-run lead.

It was a tremendous attacking innings from Head, who mixed his usual free-flowing cuts and pulls with some sumptuous drives while hitting 17 fours and four sixes to put Australia firmly in the box seat to square the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series via his third hundred in day-night Tests. After getting his fifty in 63 balls, Head took only 48 more balls to reach his eighth Test hundred in front of 51,642 fans at his home ground. He was well-supported by Marnus Labuschagne coming out of the poor run of form to hit an assured 64.

The morning session on Day Two was an hour of two halves. India initially had the upper hand, thanks to Jasprit Bumrah taking two quick wickets. But an assured Labuschagne came out of his poor run to hit 64 and share a 67-run stand with a free-striking Head.

Nathan McSweeney added just one run to his overnight total of 38 before being undone by a lovely ball from Bumrah that swung in a touch and took his outside edge to Rishabh Pant behind the stumps. The fast-bowling spearhead struck again when he had Steve Smith caught down the leg side for just two. But from there, Labuschagne hit his groove to feast on straighter lines from the Indian bowlers. He used his wrists to glance Harshit Rana for two boundaries while driving Siraj through extra cover for another four, and surviving an lbw appeal off him.

From the other end, Head was quick into entering run-making action by driving Bumrah for four, before smashing a half-volley from Ravichandran Ashwin over mid-off for six. After Labuschagne got his 21st half-century in Test cricket off 114 balls, he and Head took a wayward Rana for 17 runs in the 51st over.

After Head slashed him through backward point for four, Labuschagne glided, dabbed and pulled Rana to collect three quick boundaries. But Labuschagne fell for 64 when he dabbed at a short and wide ball from Reddy and was caught by gully. There was no stopping Head as he swept Ashwin for six, before flicking Siraj for four and got his fifty off 63 balls by punching him through cover for a boundary till dinner break came.

The second session saw Head and Mitchell Marsh taking a four each off Bumrah before the latter tried to defend off a sliding off-break from Ashwin, but nicked it behind Pant and walked off even before umpire Richard Illingworth raised his finger.

Replays later showed a flat line on Snicko, which meant Marsh had never nicked it in the first place. After swivelling Bumrah for four, Head danced down the pitch to hammer over his head for six. He again tried to hit big off Ashwin over mid-on, but toe-ended it and Mohammed Siraj dropped a difficult catch.

Boundaries continued to flow for Head, as he hit four delightful boundaries off Harshit Rana, one of which flew between the keeper and a wide first slip. Head brought up his century in just 111 balls by taking a single to square leg, and celebrated it by pumping his fist, doing the rock-the-baby celebration, as well as holding the bat handle inside the helmet, with the sellout crowd making a tremendous roar in joy of the local boy making another memorable hundred at the venue.

Head continued to tear into Rana by lofting, driving and thumping him for three boundaries, before slashing Siraj for another four. Though Siraj had Alex Carey nick behind a drive to Pant for 15, Head continued to march forward by clipping and flicking elegantly to hit three fours and a six off Siraj and Bumrah, who needed medical attention for a cramp in the adductor region in his left leg.

But Siraj responded by castling Head with a terrific in-swinging yorker and gave him a fiery send-off, which saw Head replying to the pacer, before walking off to a standing ovation from the crowd. Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins hit four boundaries between themselves before Bumrah castled the latter with a lovely inswinger at the stroke of tea.

Siraj came back after tea to have Mitchell Starc chip to mid-off and then castle Scott Boland in successive overs to end with 4-98 and end Australia’s innings just 2.3 overs into the final session. India’s second innings began with Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul taking a four each off Mitchell Starc.

But Cummins struck by getting a short ball to nip back into Rahul and cramp him for room. By then, Rahul looked to hook the ball away late, and could just glove it behind to Carey and fell for seven. Jaiswal got three boundaries off drive and slashes, before edging off a fourth stump delivery coming from over the wicket to Carey off Boland.

Boland then proceeded to test Virat Kohli relentlessly in the channel outside off stump and finally managed to get the batter to lunge forward and take the outside edge to Carey. But Pant came out all guns blazing -- charging down the ground to thump Boland over mid-off, before bringing out an outrageous reverse lap sweep going over the slips for another boundary.

Despite being beaten by Boland, Pant took a liking to his pace – slamming him through extra cover for a boundary, before unfurling the falling hook shot going to fine leg fence for another four.

But from the other end, India continued to be in trouble - Starc got a beautiful full inswinger right to knock down Shubman Gill’s middle stump, while Rohit Sharma, who survived previously due to a no-ball from Starc, played all around Cummins’ length ball on off-stump straightening after pitching and could only see his top of off stump being rattled.

Reddy faced an early stern examination from Starc, including edging off him for four and even survived an lbw appeal off Cummins, as Australia burnt their review. But he unfurled a gorgeous cover drive off Cummins, and after Pant sliced Boland for a boundary, Reddy ended an eventful day two with the inner edge off a smash going for four.

Brief scores:

India 180 and 128/5 in 24 overs (Rishabh Pant 28 not out, Shubman Gill 28; Pat Cummins 2-33, Scott Boland 2-39) trail Australia 337 in 87.3 overs (Travis Head 140, Marnus Labuschagne 64; Jasprit Bumrah 4-59, Mohammed Siraj 4-98) by 29 runs