Brisbane Test: Play abandoned in final session; key takeaways
In what was an unfortunate end of Day 2, the post-tea play was abandoned as the ground couldn't recover from the heavy downpour. Australia and India played out two sessions before the rain took over at the Gabba, Brisbane. The hosts were bundled out for 369 in the first innings, while India are set to resume from 62/2. Here are the key takeaways.
How did Day 2 pan out?
Hosts Australia carried on from their overnight score of 274/5. The likes of Cameron Green (47) and Tim Paine (50) shared a 98-run stand before the latter was sent back by Shardul Thakur. Moreover, vital contributions from Australia's tail-enders helped them achieve a total of 369. This tourists started off well, but were soon reduced to 62/2 (26 overs).
A captain's knock by Tim Paine
Australian captain Tim Paine led from the front with a pivotal 50 off 104 balls. He joined in the middle as the hosts were tottering on 213/5 on Day 1. However, a substantial partnership between him and Green took them past 300. Interestingly, this is only the second time in his 35-Test career that Paine has scored two fifties in a series (after 2010/11).
Thakur, Natarajan and Sundar were among the wickets
India's inexperienced bowling line-up was on the charge early on Day 2. The likes of Thakur, T Natarajan and Washington Sundar were among wicket as the Australian innings folded on 369. Notably, all the three bowlers finished with three scalps apiece, while Mohammed Siraj took one. However, they conceded quite a few runs toward the end as the tail-enders cashed in.
Second-best figures in debut Test innings by left-arm pacer
Left-arm seamer Natarajan, who took only 44 days to play across formats for India, finished with bowling figures of 3/78 in the first innings. This has become the second-best figures in debut Test innings by a left-arm pacer (after RP Singh: 4/89 vs Pakistan, 2005/06).
Rohit steadied India's innings, but fell to Nathan Lyon
India came out to bat in the second session. Openers Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma looked sturdy at the start, however, Pat Cummins outfoxed the former soon. Although Rohit started exhibiting a number of strokes to up the scoring rate, he fell into the trap set by Nathan Lyon. Notably, Rohit (44) shared a 49-run stand with Pujara before departing.
Rohit slammed for his reckless approach
Rohit couldn't capitalize upon his considerable start. He ended up playing a reckless shot to deep mid-wicket in pursuit of completing his fifty. He advanced down the pitch against Lyon, having misread the length. His rash dismissal was slammed by a number of experts.
