Even after the whitewash at the hands of New Zealand at home, a few had remained optimistic that India would turn it around on the tour of Australia. Stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah reignited that belief with his stellar bowling after India were bundled out for 150 in their first innings of the series opener in Perth.
The pace spearhead expectedly finished with a fifer (5/30) while debutant quick Harshit Rana (3/48) also struck twice to gain India a 46-run lead on Day II. The onus was on the struggling batting group then to ensure India tightened their grip on the game.
Openers Yashasvi Jaiswal (90 batting) and KL Rahul (62 batting) came up with a response nothing short of fantastic, extending the lead to 218 with all 10 wickets in hand as India were 172 without loss in their second innings at stumps on Saturday.
Agreed, this Perth Stadium pitch looked far better for batting on the second day than it was on Day I. That was evident when Australia’s last-wicket pair of Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood spent as many as 18 overs at the crease to somehow stretch the hosts’ first-innings total to 104 with their 25-run partnership.
That notwithstanding, Jaiswal and Rahul deserve all the credit, for they were under massive pressure. Jaiswal, in fact, couldn’t even open his account in his first-ever innings on Australian soil on Friday.
There wasn’t that zip off the pitch on Saturday, though a few of the balls did bounce awkwardly to test both batters. Jaiswal, in the day’s final session, did edge one at slip which Usman Khawaja couldn’t hold on to off Starc’s bowling. Rahul also edged one or two, but they fell short of the fielder at slip.
Barring these stray occasions, the performance so far from Jaiswal and Rahul was about a serious show of composure, restraint and going for shots only when 100 per cent sure. In easier batting conditions, Jaiswal has already proven what he is capable of. Whenever the ball was in his zone, his execution was as good as perfect. And that also included launching Starc over square leg, taking the left-arm quick by surprise.
The youngster initially looked to be struggling in reading Nathan Lyon, but once he had a measure of the off-spinner, he made sure to hoist the latter over long-on for one of his two maximums so far.
Speaking of Jaiswal’s opening partner, he was almost reminiscent of the Rahul of that 2021 Test tour of England when Rohit Sharma and he were brilliant in braving the new ball in overcast conditions. In the ongoing game too, Rahul was spot-on in terms of leaving the ball, flashing outside off-stump only when there was room and width on offer and driving only when the bowlers over-pitched.
Given the platform laid by the openers, it’s completely India’s game from hereon. They even have the luxury to bat right through the thirdday and set this out-of-form Australian batting group a huge target.
The batting unit’s apparent lack of belief in its ability appears to have rubbed off onto Australia’s bowlers as well. Australia look rattled at present and India have the perfect opportunity to ensure they remain so.
