Handscomb and Marsh: The ‘odd’ pair that defied India in Ranchi
NEW DELHI: On Day 5 of the Ranchi Test, Peter Handscomb and Shaun Marsh was the story of the “odd couple” that prevented India from winning.
The two stitched together a tense fifth wicket partnership to post 124 runs having faced 373 balls to help Australia salvage a draw, keeping the series with India level at 1-1 and leaving the fourth Test in Dharamsala as the decider.
While the two certainly aren’t peas in a pod — Handscomb is a 25-year-old right-handed extroverted batter with an unusual stance while Marsh is a 33-year-old left-handed introverted batter with a proper stance — it’s probably the differences between them that posed a huge challenge for India’s excellent bowling attack.
Indian spinners R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja tried in vain to break the partnership as they saw out 62.1 overs to soak up the pressure on the Australians in just under four hours.
Their pairing produced a new record for the biggest partnership for Australia in term of balls faced in India. Their 124run stand from 373 balls overtakes the previous best set in the same match — a 191-run partnership from 354 balls produced by Glenn Maxwell and Steven Smith in the first innings.
Australia captain Steve Smith said, “They had magnificent plans. They backed their defence for long periods of time to see the game out for as long as they did. That’s one of the things we have been talking about — being resilient and sticking out the tough times.”