INDIA RESTRICT AUSTRALIA
YADAV TAKES 4 WICKETS ON OPENING DAY
PUNE: On Wednesday night, Australia spin legend Shane Warne had told a select group of journalists at an interactive session that he hoped captain Steve Smith doesn’t pick too many left-handed batsmen in the side as it would ‘work straight in the hands of Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin’.
A day later, Matt Renshaw (68) and Mitchell Starc (57*) --- both left-handers --- struck contrasting half-centuries as they helped Australia reach a respectable total of 256/9 against India in the first Test.
The visitors were reeling at 205/9 at one stage before Starc scored a quickfire 57 off 58 balls. Renshaw played a gritty knock of 68 after recovering from an upset stomach that forced him to retire in the first session. Ashwin and Jadeja shared five wickets between them while Umesh Yadav picked up four to run through the opposition line-up.
It was a solid start by Warner and Renshaw on a pitch that was almost tailor-made for spinners.
Both Warner and Renshaw hung on with neither trying to get on top of the opposition but just play out the overs.
BREAKTHROUGH
But it was Umesh who brought an end to the well-paced 82-run partnership between the two as Warner played on to his stumps. It proved to be a double whammy as Renshaw too left a minute later for an upset stomach, leaving Steve Smith and Shaun Marsh to start from scratch all over again.
Unbeaten on one off 16 and 18 deliveries respectively at lunch, the duo started off with a positive intent as they picked up 33 runs in the next 10 overs. Marsh however fell in the 47th over after mistiming a sweep to give a simple catch to Kohli at backward short-leg.
It was an excellent ploy as Jayant Yadav was consistently bowling on the leg stump to lure him into the shot while Kohli switched to the position just two deliveries prior to the dismissal. Peter Handscomb played a few fine shots in his brief stay at the crease but was trapped in front by Jadeja off a flatter delivery that held its line and didn’t turn much.
Renshaw came back on but Smith left four balls later as he holed a simple catch to Kohli. With two wickets in quick successions, India tried to pile on the pressure and almost had Mitchell Marsh sent back but a successful review overturned a caught-behind decision.
Earlier, India wasted both reviews in the opening two sessions. Renshaw’s knock, laced with 10 boundaries and a six, came to an end as Ashwin had him caught at second slip while Umesh removed Matthew Wade, Nathan Lyon and Steve O’Keefe to reduce Australia to 205/9. But India’s hopes of bundling out Australia were dashed by Starc as he struck five boundaries and three towering sixes to keep Australia in the game.