India lost its openers cheaply after bowling out Australia for 469, and found themselves uncomfortably placed at tea on Day 2 of the World Test Championship final at the Oval on Thursday.
Captain Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill were dismissed in the space of five balls and India was 37-2 at tea. Virat Kohli came out to a roar from the sun-soaked crowd and was on 4 with Cheteshwar Pujara on 3 at the end of the second session of the day.
Sharma pulled the second ball of the innings by Mitchell Starc behind square to the boundary but he lasted less than half an hour. After scoring 15 off 26 balls, he was rapped on the front pad below the knee roll by Pat Cummins and given out leg before. He walked after Gill told him not to review.
India found itself at 30-2 when, in the 7th over, Gill offered no shot to one that nipped back from Scott Boland and smashed into his off stump. Gill had 13.
The Australians were already excited by the Oval pitch for their seamers as their own innings was coming to an end. The pitch was offering sideways movement, variable bounce, and not much turn.
Australia was all out for 469 inside an hour after lunch. The last seven wickets were taken for 108 runs in a good comeback by India after Australia threatened 500-plus while Travis Head and Steve Smith were in.
But after the morning exits of both century-makers, only Alex Carey reached double figures.
Carey got to 48 after hitting spinner Ravindra Jadeja high over the mid-on fence, but he lunged at the next ball for an ill-advised reverse sweep and missed. India reviewed the not-out call and got Carey out lbw.
Carey appeared not to have learned his lesson on the tour of India in February-March when he was out making the same shot three times in six bats. Instead, Australia’s last recognised batter missed a fourth half-century and, more importantly, a chance to shepherd the tail to a 500 total.
Mohammed Siraj led the India attack with four wickets, notably Head, and Mohammed Shami and Shardul Thakur took two each.
Australia solidly placed at Lunch
Earlier in the day, Steve Smith and Travis Head knocked off milestones and India took out both batters on the second morning of the World Test Championship final at the Oval on Thursday.
Australia was 422-7 at lunch after losing four wickets in the session including Head for 163 and Smith for 121.
With the second new ball, seamers Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami and Shardul Thakur were finding some variable bounce and all took a wicket each to force Australia to prune back its hopes of a 500 total.
Wicketkeeper Alex Carey was on 22 with captain Pat Cummins on 2. Australia added 95 runs in 24 overs of pace, at a crawl again by India.
Overnight batters Smith and Head didn't waste time.
Head, resuming on 146, hit the morning's first ball for a single to give Smith, on 95, the strike. Smith flicked the next two half-volleys to the boundary to raise his 31st hundred in his 97th test. This was Smith's seventh test hundred in England. Of non-Englishmen to score hundreds in England in test history, only Don Bradman has more, with 11.
Smith raised his bat with a defiant look, hugged Head, and returned to the crease, which he stepped away from while Siraj was running in. Smith was bothered by the shadow of the spider cam. Siraj was annoyed by Smith and they bantered.
Head's cut to the boundary for a 23rd time took him past 150 for the fourth time among his six test hundreds.
India bowling coach Paras Mhambrey criticized his bowlers after the first day for not targeting Head's short-ball weakness earlier. The seamers stuck at it on Thursday and got Head after half an hour, guiding Siraj down the leg side straight to Srikar Bharat.
Head's brilliant counterattacking century finished on 163 off 174 balls, with 25 boundaries and the only six so far.
It was the end of a magnificent stand of 285 between him and Smith that last nearly 4 1/2 hours.
Cameron Green steered his first delivery in a test in England around the slips to the fence but was out for 6 after edging Shami to Shubman Gill at second slip.
Smith then surprised. India couldn't touch him and Smith did it for them when he chopped on against Thakur. Smith had 121 runs from 268 balls with 19 boundaries. He didn't walk off satisfied.
Mitchell Starc then ran himself out for 5 after a skillful pick up and throw by substitute fielder Axar Patel.
Playing XI
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, KS Bharat (wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj
Australia: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wicketkeeper), Pat Cummins (captain), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland.
