India win second Test by eight wickets, level series

MELBOURNE: India defeated Australia by eight wickets in the second Test at the Melbourne Cricket Cricket Ground on Tuesday. The four-Test series is now level at 1-1. Australia had won the first Test in Adelaide, also by eight wickets.

Shubman Gill plays a shot during the second Test match, in Melbourne on Tuesday. (ANI Photo)Ajinkya Rahane plays a shot during the second Test match at Melbourne Cricket Ground on Tuesday. (ANI Photo)

Set a target of 70 after Australia were dismissed for 200 in their second innings on Tuesday, the Indians got to the target for the loss of opener Mayank Agarwal (5) and No. 3 Cheteshwar Pujara (3).

Shubman Gill, who hit seven fours in a delightful innings, was unbeaten on 35 and skipper Ajinkya Rahane on 27.

Earlier, the Aussies, who resumed on 133 for six, added 67 more runs before getting bowled out at the stroke of lunch in the extended first session.

Mohammed Siraj picked two of the four wickets to fall on the day to take his innings tally to three for 37 while Jasprit Bumrah (2/54) and R Ashwin (2/71) picked a wicket each on the fourth day.

Cameron Green (45) and Pat Cummins added 23 more and took their seventh-wicket partnership to 57 in the morning before Cummins was dismissed by a short delivery from Bumrah as the seventh wicket.

Green was out to a pull shot off Siraj while Lyon fell to the same bowler caught behind down the leg-side.

All the three Aussie wickets to India pace bowlers were off short deliveries on a wicket that afforded no help to either the pace bowlers or spinners. R. Ashwin took the last wicket of Josh Hazlewood.

Brief scores: Australia 195 and 200 (C. Green 45, M. Wade 40, M. Labuschagne 28, M. Siraj 3/37, J. Bumrah 2/54, R. Jadeja 2/28, R. Ashwin 2/71, U. Yadav 1/5) vs India 326 and 70/2 (S. Gill 35 not out, A. Rahane 27 not out)

Even in the second innings, when India chased a small total, facing the ghosts of 36 in the second innings of the first Test, Gill went about playing his shots even as Mayank and Pujara were dismissed.