Pride of India under the pump
O’KEEFE NABS SIX SCALPS ON BIG TURNER Australia hold all the cards as they lead by 298 runs.
Australian spinner Steve Keefe said yesterday he expected India to come back fighting in the first Test after his career-best haul of 6/35 left the hosts on the ropes.
An unbeaten half-century from Steve Smith helped the visitors reach 143/4 at stumps on day two, which saw a total of 15 wickets fall at Pune’s Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium.
O’Keefe, whose six wickets came off just 24 balls, helped Australia bundle India out for 105 in the afternoon session before the visiting batsmen rammed home their advantage against the world’s top Test team.
Smith was on 59 and Mitchell Marsh on 21 was also at the crease as Australia stretched their lead to 298 runs by the close on a turning track at India’s newest Test venue.
“It’s an exciting contest – even with 300 on the board, it’s still gettable. We have seen two guys bat well. Like Steve Smith, you can get runs on it,” O’Keefe told reporters.
“I think they are going to get back stronger and better in their second innings and they are going to put up a lot of fight as you would expect from this Indian unit.
“We have had a good day’s cricket but that’s all it is. We’ve still got a lot of work to do if we are going to win this match,” said O’Keefe.
Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin claimed three wickets, including the early scalps of openers David Warner and Shaun Marsh.
Smith, who was dropped three times, went on to register his 21st Test half-century in his 51st match.
First-innings top-scorer Matt Renshaw, who did not open the batting after staying off the field with nausea during most of India’s innings, hung on with Smith for a 52-run partnership.
Renshaw (31), who also had to temporarily retire ill with a stomach upset during his first innings knock on Thursday, once again found it hard to cope with the heat as he suffered from bouts of dehydration.
But the Indian fielders were also left feeling the heat as they dropped four catches.
Ishant Sharma finally clung on to a skier at long-off after Renshaw mistimed a hit off Jayant Yadav.
Smith then steadied the innings with Mitchell Marsh as the two tackled the spinners with aplomb.
But it was O’Keefe who stole the show earlier in the day with a blitz of wickets after lunch that saw India’s middle and lower order crumble as the hosts conceded a 155-run first-innings lead. – AFP