Kohli booed by Australian fans
Adelaide, Dec. 8: India built a 166- run lead over Australia on the third day of an absorbing opening Test in Adelaide on Saturday with dangerman Cheteshwar Pujara not out 40, although the late wicket of master batsman Virat Kohli gave the home team a glimmer of hope. At stumps, the visitors were 151- 3, adding to their first innings total of 250. Ajinkya Rahane was not out one, alongside Pujara who scored a gritty first innings century.
It was looking ominous for Australia with Kohli and Pujara compiling a 71- run third- wicket partnership, but spinner Nathan Lyon got a massive breakthrough when he snared the Indian skipper for 34 near the close of play.
“I think it’s slightly in our favour,” said Indian paceman Jasprit Bumrah.
“The late wicket was a good thing for them and the first session tomorrow will be very important. If we capitalise on that it will leave us in a very good place in this match.”
He added that Pujara was key. “He’s showed a lot of patience and that is the key element in Test cricket. A great knock and hopefully he continues tomorrow.”
Australia were dismissed for 235 just before lunch, with Travis Head top scoring on 72 on a day hit by rain delays, leaving them 15 runs adrift.
Batting in front of his
home crowd, Head said he was disappointed to not add more runs but believed the game was “evenly poised”.
“It’ll be a big first hour tomorrow, if we can get a couple of wickets and put them under pressure. I think the bowlers did a wonderful job to contain and continue to put pressure on them tonight.”
India got off to a solid start, with KL Rahul and Murali Vijay enjoying a 63run partnership. On a difficult batting track, Josh Hazlewood bowled four straight maidens to keep them contained. Adelaide, Dec. 8: Virat Kohli was booed by a small section of the Adelaide Oval crowd when he stepped out to bat in the second innings against Australia, an act that has been criticised by rival batsman Travis Head and former skipper Ricky Ponting.
Kohli came out to bat after the fall of opener K L Rahul and was jeered by a small group of Australian fans. He received similar boos when he had headed to bat on the opening day. Travis Head, however, wasn’t impressed by the behaviour of the crowd. “He’s a pretty good player and probably doesn’t deserve to be booed but that’s how it is. It’s probably not needed but that’s the crowd,” he said.
When Jasprit Bumrah was asked about the booing, he said that the Indian team likes to ignore such situations. “I don’t think all these things are important to us because for us, what happens in that circle is important. Everything else, we can’t control and it
I’m really impressed with Travis Head as a player and a person. — Ricky Ponting, Former Australian captain is all praise for Head’s patient half- century in the first innings
is not in our hands. If they want to, they can do whatever they want. As long as we are doing well, we are happy,” he said.
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting, who was also booed by sections of English crowd on a few occasions during the 2009 Ashes tour, also expressed his displeasure at seeing the action by the fans.
“I don’t like seeing it at all,” Ponting told cricket. com. au after Kohli scored 34 runs in a 104- ball innings before being removed by spinner Nathan Lyon just before the draw of stumps.
“It didn’t worry me as a player when it happened in England a couple times. You’ve almost got to accept it as acknowledgement for what you’ve done in the game. But I’d rather not see that happen at all. It’ll be water off a duck’s back ( for Kohli), I’m sure. He’s probably had worse things happen to him on a cricket field, I would have thought, than getting booed by a couple of spectators as he walks on.”