Axar Patel's measured 74 helps India close the gap after Lyon fifer but Head ensures Aussies have noses ahead after Day 2
NEW DELHI: For the first session and half on the second day of the second Test, Australia's bowlers, led by Nathan Lyon, exposed everything that has not been right with India's top order for the last two years. Lyon bagging a fifer inside 50 overs of the innings sent jitters through the Indian camp. At 139/7, with the Kotla pitch offering the bowlers enough to work with, the hosts were in trouble.
Then Axar Patel, one of the indomitable breed of new-age Indian Test cricketers, rose to the occasion with a measured 74 off 115 balls. Axar put on an eighth-wicket partnership of 114 runs off 30 overs with R Ashwin, who scored a gutsy 37 at the other end to counter Lyon's 5/67. Eventually, India ended up conceding a lead of just a solitary run in pursuit of Australia's first-innings score 263. Australia, finally, got ahead of the game on this tour, but not by much thanks to the growing strength of the Indian tail.
The pressure, however, was clearly on India at stumps. Australia zoomed to 61/1 in 12 overs, with Travis Head taking the game to the Indian spinners with his unbeaten 40-ball 39 and Marnus Labuschagne batting on 16 at stumps. Things could have been worse if Shreyas Iyer had not pulled off a stunning catch at leg gully to dismiss Usman Khawaja.
KL Rahul's inexplicably prolonged run of poor form, Cheteshwar Pujara falling for a duck in his 100th Test to his nemesis Lyon and Virat Kohli's now-normal grind for 44 — ending as a debut wicket for left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann — were all just a continuation of the vulnerability of India's star-studded top order. Right from the Gabba heist two years ago, the lower order has been incessantly burdened with doing the repair work.
Saturday was Axar Patel's turn yet again. In a three-pronged spin attack, he has had very little to do with the ball. But then, he has essentially been making up for the absence of his good friend Rishabh Pant, especially when the team management has been desperate to have left-handers in the middle order. Axar and Ashwin had to cope with Lyon ripping and landing his off-spinners near-perfectly all day. With the drift, bite, side spin, brisk pace through the air and tight angles, Lyon had tied down India's famed quartet to the crease up front.
Australia's premier spinner finally arrived at a venue where he had picked up seven-for on his first tour of India in 2013. However, had it not been for two stunning catches by the Aussies to get rid of both Axar Patel and Ashwin, India would have been looking at a sizeable lead.
1/10:2nd Test, Day 2: Axar, Ashwin rescue India after Lyon blows
2/10:Axar leads India's fightback
<p>Axar Patel hammered a counter-attacking 74 Saturday to help India close the gap on Australia's total after Nathan Lyon bagged five wickets on an intense Day 2 of the second Test.<br /><br /></p>ANI
3/10:A crucial stand
<p>India were all out for 262 after a key 114-run eighth-wicket fightback by Axar and Ravichandran Ashwin, leaving the tourists a lead of one run in New Delhi.<br /><br /><br /></p>
4/10:Australia 61/1 at stumps
<p>Australia raced to 61 for one at stumps after Ravindra Jadeja dismissed Usman Khawaja for six after a reverse sweep flew straight to leg slip.<br /><br /></p>Getty Images
5/10:Head, Labuschagne lead Aus charge
<p>Travis Head, on 39, and Marnus Labuschagne, on 16, were batting at the close of play with Australia leading by 62 runs in their second innings.<br /><br /><br /></p>Getty Images
6/10:Axar hits second successive fifty
<p>Number eight Axar stood out for India with his second successive Test half-century as he took on the opposition bowlers with nine fours and three sixes.<br /><br /><br /></p>IANS
7/10:Ashwin scores valuable 37
<p>Ashwin played the anchor in his 37 before he fell to Pat Cummins, who struck with the second new ball to get the batsman caught at square leg by Matt Renshaw, a concussion substitute for David Warner.<br /><br /></p>AFP
8/10:Axar falls for 74
<p>Cummins took a stunner at mid on to end Axar's brave knock off Todd Murphy and fellow spinner Matthew Kuhnemann ended the Indian innings in the final session.<br /><br /></p>PTI
9/10:Lyon rattles India
<p>Lyon led Australia's charge with four wickets to rattle India in the morning and then claimed his 22nd Test five-for in an afternoon session that saw a controversial dismissal of Virat Kohli on 44.<br /><br /></p>ANI
