India once again proved too hot for the Australians to handle. Batting on Indian pitches requires special skill to play the spinners. On the third day of the second Test match, the visitors were dancing on the turning track of Delhi against the duo of Jadeja and Ashwin. Both bowlers mesmerised the Australian batting line-up, which helped the hosts take a 2-0 lead in the four-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
On the third day, the pendulum of the match was in balance. Both sides were looking to take the initiative and press for victory. But the Australian batters were struggling against some remarkable bowling by the Indian slow bowlers. The visitors went from 61/1 to 113 all out.
Ravindra Jadeja was the wrecker in chief and took seven for 42, and he was ably supported by Ashwin, who scalped three wickets.
Indian batters didn’t bog down and scored 118 runs, scripting a six-wicket victory and going 2-0 in the series. Ravindra Jadeja was declared player of the match for his astonishing all-round performance.
It is needless to add that the turning point of the match was the partnership of Axar and Ashwin. At one point, India was down the barrel at 139/7. The lower order applied themselves sensibly, showed courage, and knit more than a 100-run partnership, denying Australia the opportunity to take a sizable lead.
Another Test ended in three days, and Australia is out of ideas on how to deal with the spinners and put pressure on the home side. The management of the Australian team has to sit down and make a new strategy to stop the India hurricane.
Cheteshwar Pujara equaled the record of Ricky Ponting by hitting the winning run in the 100th Test match. Ponting achieved this feat in 2006 in Sydney, hitting four off Johan Botha of South Africa. Pujara hits a winning boundary against Todd Murphy in Delhi, 2023.
Rohit Sharma’s team is now eyeing a clear sweep in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy. It is not impossible, but there is a mountain to climb for Australia to come back in the ongoing series.