India vs Australia, 1st Test: Centurion Rohit, Jadeja-Axar fifties overshadow Murphy’s exploits on Day 2

Rohit
(120)
displayed
class
and
composure
of
the
highest
order
and
in
the
process
became
the
first
Indian
captain
to
have
scored
a
century
in
all
three
formats.

Rohit
Sharma
Performance
in
Test

While
Rohit’s
ninth
Test
hundred
is
worth
its
weight
in
gold,
Ravindra
Jadeja’s
(66
not
out)
18th
half-century
is
also
priceless.
The
all-rounder’s
knock
will
be
equally
important
in
the
context
of
the
game.

India
vs
Australia
1st
Test:
Todd
Murphy
and
the
Tale
of
his
Five
Wickets
against
India
on
Debut

Jadeja
once
again
showed
his
true
worth
by
adding
61
runs
for
the
sixth
wicket
with
Rohit
and
another
81
runs
for
the
unconquered
eighth
wicket
with
Axar
Patel
(52
batting),
who
is
also
playing
a
fine
hand.

It
was
a
battle
of
attrition
for
Indian
batters,
especially
Rohit
and
Jadeja
with
the
home
team
putting
on
board
244
runs
on
the
second
day.

Rohit
Sharma:
Four
Milestones
the
Indian
captain
reached
with
his
Hundred
against
Australia

On
a
slow
track
where
other
batters
found
the
run-scoring
extremely
difficult,
the
Indian
captain
was
concentration-personified.

It
had
the
same
class
as
the
161
he
scored
in
against
England
in
2021
in
the
Chennai
Test.
The
opener
put
his
best
food
forward
against
an
attack,
led
by
spinners
Nathan
Lyon
(1/98)
and
Todd
Murphy
(5/82),
who
got
a
five-for
on
Test
debut.

In
fact,
both
the
off-break
bowlers
came
round
the
wicket
against
right-handers
to
stem
the
flow
of
runs
and
succeeded
partially.

It
took
Rohit
171
balls
to
reach
his
hundred.
He
hit
15
boundaries
and
two
sixes
in
a
knock
that
spanned
more
than
four
and
half
hours.

Ravindra
Jadeja
accused
of
cheating
while
applying
‘ointment’
on
index
finger;
Team
India
gives
clarification

But
the
hallmark
of
his
innings
was
the
rotation
of
strike
and
how
he
traded
risk
for
caution.

Rohit
Sharma
does
a
Pujara

Having
read
the
nature
of
the
pitch
perfectly,
Rohit
curbed
his
natural
flair
and
channelised
his
“inner
Cheteshwar
Pujara”
and
testimony
to
that
was
62
completely
out-of-character
runs
that
he
scored
across
two
sessions
on
the
day.

He
had
scored
56
runs
in
half-a-session
on
Thursday
evening.

Pull
has
been
Rohit’s
go-to
shot
in
every
form
of
cricket
he
didn’t
take
his
opposite
number
Pat
Cummins’
(1/74)
bait,
save
one
time
when
he
hit
him
for
a
maximum
behind
square.

India
vs
Australia
1st
Test
Day
2
Highlights:
IND
take
144-run
lead
after
top
show
from
Rohit,
Jadeja,
Axar

He
didn’t
try
to
get
to
his
hundred
in
a
hurry,
playing
out
maidens
and
taking
singles
before
whipping
Cummins
to
square
leg
for
a
boundary
that
took
his
score
in
the
90s.

It
was
an
inside-out
lofted
drive
over
extra
cover
off
Murphy
that
brought
up
his
hundred,
and
once
again
reiterated
the
theory
that
in
adverse
situations,
individuals
with
the
highest
degree
of
skill
prevail.

There
wasn’t
any
over-the-top
celebrations,
no
cuss
words
used
or
the
customary
ritual
of
removing
the
helmet.
He
just
looked
towards
the
dressing
room
in
acknowledgement.

Once
the
second
new
ball
was
taken,
Cummins
dismissed
Rohit
with
an
unplayable
delivery
that
was
fast
and
also
moved
away
late
after
pitching.

Jadeja
continues
to
shine

However,
Jadeja
stood
firm
and
got
good
support
from
fellow
all-rounder
Axar
to
further
consolidate
India’s
position
in
the
game.

Virat
Kohli,
Suryakumar,
Bharat
disappoint

Virat
Kohli
(12)
along
with
debutants
Suryakumar
Yadav
(8)
and
Kona
Bharat
(8)
would
be
disappointed
that
they
didn’t
score
big.

In
the
case
of
Kohli,
bespectacled
Murphy
bowled
a
similar
delivery
to
the
former
India
skipper
that
had
earlier
accounted
for
Cheteshwar
Pujara.

The
young
spinner
bowled
on
the
fifth
stump
on
the
leg
side
and
a
faint
nick
was
taken
on
the
second
attempt
by
wicket-keeper
Alex
Carey.

Surya
became
Lyon’s
first
victim
as
the
off-break
bowler
breached
his
defence.

In
the
morning,
captain
Cummins
had
set
the
bait
for
his
opposite
number
with
a
deep
fine
leg
and
deep
mid-wicket
fielder
but
bowled
fuller
during
his
morning
spell.

Scott
Boland
also
toiled
manfully
but
once
Carey
stood
up
to
the
stumps,
it
was
evident
that
there
was
no
help
for
fast
bowlers
on
day
two.