Scott Boland and Pat Cummins struck in quick succession as Australian cemented their strong position in the World Test Championship final at The Oval. At tea on the second afternoon, India were 37-2, still 432 runs in arrears.
After wrapping up Australia’s first innings for 469, the Indian camp needed a steady start. For a while, Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill looked in good touch, adding 30 runs in just six overs. Both looked to employ the pull shot, with Gill even cracking one in front of square on the on-side off Cummins.
Cummins then decided to replace Mitchell Starc with Scott Boland. Boland, renowned for his nagging accuracy and the ability to nip the ball back off the seam consistently, certainly put the brakes on the scoring rate, going for just two runs in his first three overs. He also produced a delivery that nipped back off the seam just enough to castle Gill, who had shouldered arms. It was a quintessential delivery from Boland, and Gill, who made 13 off 14 balls, paid the ultimate price for his flawed judgement.
Just before Gill’s dismissal, Rohit too had fallen to a nip-backer from Cummins. Rohit didn’t help his cause by getting caught in the crease. Cummins’ scrambled-seam delivery also perhaps made it tougher for Rohit to judge which way the ball would move after pitching. Virat Kohli and Chesteshwar Pujara then negotiated the rest of the session.
India had begun the afternoon session on a better note, as Mohammed Siraj and Ravindra Jadeja combined to pick up three wickets between them. Siraj removed Cummins and Nathan Lyon to finish with figures of 4 for 108, while Jadeja trapped Carey leg before. Carey, who had been extremely positive while making 48 from 69 balls, tried to essay the reverse-sweep, but was hoodwinked by the arm-ball from Jadeja.
Earlier, Australia had commenced day two with their two overnight batters, Travis Head and Steven Smith, eager to push on. Smith clipped two over-pitched deliveries off his pads to get to his 31st Test hundred, and ninth against India. Head too played with freedom, but it was also quite clear that India’s short-ball plan was troubling him.
Eventually, it worked as Head gloved a short ball from Siraj to KS Bharat behind the stumps. By then, he had made 163 from just 174 balls, studded with 25 fours and a six. Siraj’s partner-in-crime, Shami, then dislodged Cameron Green with a fuller delivery that was bowled in the one-square-foot window outside off. Green edged it to Gill in the slip cordon.
Shardul Thakur followed that by inducing Smith to inside edge one onto the stumps. Smith faced 268 balls for his 121, his third century in four Tests at The Oval. Starc had a torrid time, beaten on several occasions while facing Siraj, Umesh Yadav and Shardul. Ultimately, he was run out on the back of a stunning piece of fielding from Axar Patel, who threw down the stumps at the non-striker’s end after a diving stop at mid-off. By then, however, Australia were well in the ascendancy. The bowlers merely reinforced it.
Brief scores: Australia 469 (Travis Head 163, Steve Smith 121; Mohammed Siraj 4-108) lead India 37/2 (Scott Boland 1-2) by 432 runs.