A STUNNING solo mission from Rishabh Pant has pushed back on Australia’s fast bowling press, though the hosts boast the upper hand after 15-wicket day two at the Sydney Cricket Ground, in large part thanks to a four-wicket haul for Scott Boland.

With series honours and a potential World Test Championship Final spot on the line, both teams enjoyed phases of the day on top, with the wickets of Pant (61 from 33 balls) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (4) putting the hosts marginally in front.

At stumps, India ended the at 141/6, with a lead of 145 runs.
After the tourists took a slim four-run innings lead at the SCG, bowling Australia out for 181 in the second session, Australia hit back with three first-spell Boland wickets and a maiden scalp for debutant Beau Webster.

Batting at No.5, and in spite of the match situation, Pant countered, racing to a 29-ball fifty, a ball shy of equalling his own record for the fastest Test half-century by an India men’s batter. The wicket-keeper/batter fell looking to cut Australian skipper Pat Cummins, edging to Alex Carey for a regulation catch.

Nitish then miscued a drive to the skipper on 4 late in the day, leaving Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar to see out the day.
Jadeja was handed a life by Steve Smith, who misjudged a slips catch off the bowling of Webster.

It was Boland to make early headway for Australia in India’s second innings, making a mess of KL Rahul’s stumps (14) and beating Yashasvi Jaiswal’s forward defence on 23, and catching the outside edge of Virat Kohli’s bat (6) to boast opening spell figures of 3/27.
Debutant Webster, who took over Boland at the Randwick end, then dismissed Shubman Gill (13) for his first Test wicket.

Earlier in the day Jasprit Bumrah was seemingly India’s fast bowling spearhead again in their hitback, taking the early morning wicket of Marnus Labuschagne, though the irrepressible fast bowler’s day turned sour after succumbing to injury in the second session of play.

The quick left the ground in training gear for scans, with his future participation in the match unclear.

Bumrah’s early advances were not in isolation, with Mohammed Siraj complimenting the world’s No.1 Test bowler, ending Sam Konstas’ stay on 23, and Travis Head (4) soon after, who edged to KL Rahul at second slip.

Steve Smith’s rebuild with debutant Beau Webster took Australia to 96/4, before the former also found Rahul on 33, handing Prasidh Krishna his first wicket of the contest.

Smith’s dismissal leaves the right-hander stuck on 9995 Test runs, though with the opportunity to become the 15th player to reach the five-figure mark in the second innings of the match.
Australia’s struggles continued into the second session, with Krishna also claiming Webster (57) and Alex Carey (21) pulling India back.
In Bumrah’s absence, Siraj (3/51) claimed the final wicket of Boland (9).

India’s day two work backed the late heroics of Bumrah on day one, who claimed Usman Khawaja with the final ball of play to spark verbal confrontations in the middle in the third session’s dying embers.

A disciplined effort from the Australian quicks held India for 185, with Scott Boland the pick of the bowlers with a four-wicket haul, including two wickets in quick succession in the final session.

Boland broke Rishabh Pant’s resistance with a short ball, luring the left-hander into top-edging a pull shot, which was taken by Cummins at short mid-wicket. It was followed by another wicket off the next delivery, as Nitish Kumar Reddy nicked behind to Steve Smith at first slip. (ICC Media)