India 109 & 163 (Pujara 59, Lyon 8-64) lead Australia 197 (Khawaja 60, Jadeja 4-78, Umesh 3-12) by 75 runs
A remarkable eight-wicket haul from Nathan Lyon put Australia on the brink of a rare Test win in India. The game, however, was far from over after a stunning first-innings batting collapse from the visitors and an obdurate half-century from Cheteshwar Pujara kept the hosts in the contest in Indore.
Day two was even more chaotic than day one, with Lyon claiming 8 for 64 to bowl India out for 163 in the second innings on the stroke of stumps, setting Australia a target of just 76. It would not have been that many without Pujara’s 142-ball 59. It might not have been that many without another chaotic Australian collapse in the morning session that will give India’s bowlers hope on the third day.
Australia had led by 77 runs with six first-innings wickets in hand at drinks on the second morning only to lose 6 for 11 in 34 balls of chaos to let India back into the game. On a spinner’s paradise, Umesh Yadav took three wickets in three overs to finish with figures of 3 for 12, while R Ashwin bagged three at the other end to bowl Australia out with a lead of just 88. Their tail has provided no resistance on the entire tour, but this was statistically among the worst lower-order collapses in Australia’s Test history.
Pujara had to work exceptionally hard to erase India’s deficit without much help from his top-order teammates as Lyon never let them breathe during an unwavering spell from around the wicket after lunch. Pujura stood firm but he never stood still in nearly four hours of attrition to keep India alive. Having learned from his mistake in the first-innings, he played almost exclusively on the front foot with a vertical bat, always playing in front of his pad, and used his feet superbly to smother the spin of Lyon, Todd Murphy and Matthew Kuhnemann. It was something his team-mates could not manage. Shubman Gill fell to a wild heave across the line to Lyon in the first over after lunch. Rohit Sharma misjudged the length going back to a full ball from Lyon. Virat Kohli played an ill-fated cross-bat shot off the back foot to Kuhnemann, before Ravindra Jadeja was unable to get his bat in front of his pad as he was trapped plumb in front by Lyon.
More to follow …
Source: ESPN Crickinfo