Ajit Karn
India vs. Australia, 1st Test, Day 2: India’s captain Rohit Sharma exhibited the utmost class and composure against a quality Australian bowling attack to score his ninth Test century and lead India to 226 for 5 at tea on the second day of the opening match on Friday.
On a slow pitch where run-scoring was extremely difficult for other batsmen, the Indian captain (118 batting) exemplified concentration en route to one of his finest Test centuries. The opener put his best foot forward against the bowlers led by spinners Nathan Lyon (1/81 in 27 overs) and Todd Murphy (4/59 in 25 overs) to score a century of comparable quality to the 161 he scored in Chennai in 2021.
Rohit required 171 deliveries to reach his century, and he has hit 15 fours and two sixes off 207 deliveries so far. However, the highlight of his innings was the way he alternated between taking risks and avoiding them. He played out maidens and singles before hitting Pat Cummins (0/50 on 11 overs) to square leg for a boundary, bringing his score to 90s. Murphy brought up his century with an inside-out lofted drive over extra cover, reiterating the theory that in adverse situations, those with the most skill prevail.
There were no excessive celebrations, foul language, or removal of the helmet, as is customary. He simply acknowledged the dressing room by glancing in its direction. Maybe there was still a lot of work to be done, and he didn’t want to waste energy celebrating. Ravindra Jadeja has once again demonstrated his value by contributing 58 runs for the sixth wicket. Both Virat Kohli (12) and Suryakumar Yadav (8) will be disappointed with their scores.
Murphy bowled the same delivery to former India captain Virat Kohli that he had previously used to dismiss Cheteshwar Pujara. The young spinner bowled on the fifth leg stump, and wicket-keeper Alex Carey caught a leg-side nick on the second attempt. Surya was the first victim of Lyon after the off-break breached his defence.
In the morning, captain Cummins lured his opponent with a deep fine leg fielder and a deep mid-wicket fielder, but he bowled fuller during his morning spell. During the second spell of the Australian captain, when a short delivery was dug in, Rohit resorted to his preferred pull shot. In fact, the low bounce made it easier to defend, as Rohit and Ashwin frequently used their front foot to frustrate the bowlers during their 42-run stand.
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The pitch, however, has not shown any signs of further deterioration since the first day. However, the slowness of the pitch had an effect on the Australian bowlers, as Lyon and Murphy, both off-spinners, had to bowl faster in order to gain purchase from the pitch. Australia’s second-fastest bowler Scott Boland (0/23 in 14 overs), who normally bowls in excess of 135 clicks, asked wicket-keeper Alex Carey to keep up with him in order to prevent the batters from using their feet to score.
