Australia vs India Highlights, 2nd Test Day 2 Perth: Skipper Virat Kohli once again showcased his class with a confident 82, lifting India from a precarious position at the beginning of innings to 172/3 in the second Test against Australia on Saturday. Kohli’s unbeaten knock, coupled with vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane’s counter-attacking 51, helped India to not only overcome the cheap dismissals of Murali Vijay (2) and KL Rahul (2) but also put the visitors in a position from where they can look to dominate the rest of the game. Also Read - Rohit Sharma Responds to Comparisons With MS Dhoni, Calls Former India Captain One of a Kind Cricketer
The India captain stitched a 90-run unbroken partnership with Rahane by stumps on the second day, the stand coming after he added 74 with Adelaide hero Cheteshwar Pujara (24) for the third wicket. This was after Australia’s tail wagged to add 49 runs to their overnight total to finish at 326. India trailed by 154 more runs. Post-tea, Kohli and Pujara (24) batted in much the same manner as they did in the previous session. Their pace of scoring was slow, but they batted with assurance until Mitchell Starc (2/42) provided the breakthrough. (Australia vs India – Day 1 Highlights) Also Read - Shahid Afridi on Relationship With Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli vs Babar Azam Comparisons
It came seven overs after the tea break as Pujara glanced a delivery down leg only to be caught behind, as his 74-run partnership with Kohli for the third wicket came to an end. Rahane then joined Kohli in the middle, and initially, he faced some issues getting used to the pace and bounce off the pitch. Unlike Pujara though, he took the bowling head on and counter-attacked with two boundaries and a six. Also Read - MS Dhoni Showed me The Real Picture Regarding 2019 World Cup: Yuvraj Singh
It set the pace for his partnership with Kohli, who was solid at the other end, and grinding down the Australian attack. The Indian skipper reached his 20th Test half-century off 109 balls as India crossed 100 in the 43rd over. Their 50-partnership came off 106 balls as the duo settled down to see off the last hour before stumps. They cut down on the risks even more, only occasionally coming forth to play their shots. In doing so, Rahane reached his 17th Test half-century before the end of play as the two batsmen were sure in their shot selection and avoided any further damage to the Indian innings. (Read Full Day 1 Report – Australia vs India 2nd Test)
