India vs Australia Score, WTC Final 2023 Day 2: India 151/5 at Stumps
India vs Australia, WTC Final 2023 Updates, Day 2: All of Australia's five bowlers have been amongst wickets.
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India and Australia are competing in the 2021-23 ICC World Test Championship final, which is being played in England's Oval.
India are 151/5 at the end of Day 2, with Ajinkya Rahane and KS Bharat at the crease.
Ravindra Jadeja top-scored for India with a 51-ball 48.
Australia scored 469 runs after being asked to bat first.
Travis Head and Steve Smith scored centuries, whilst for India, Mohammed Siraj picked up a four-wicket haul.
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India vs Australia Live Score: Needs Must For India, Australia Wary of Momentum Drop
Day 1 of the 2021-23 ICC World Test Championship final has been all about a practical demonstration of Murphy's law for the Indian cricket team, for everything that could have gone wrong, did go wrong, and horribly so.
After choosing the bowl first, with skies hovering over the London sky, India might have expected a flurry of wickets. They did manage to send an in-form Usman Khawaja back very early, whilst after a decent second-wicket stand, both David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne perished in quick succession.
However, the next phase of play ensured nothing but misery and despair for the Indians, with Steve Smith and Travis Head building the strongest of rearguards for the baggy greens.
The duo combined to accumulate 251 runs for the fourth-wicket stand, and are currently still going strong, with Head unbeaten on 146 and Smith unbeaten on 95. If India are to make a comeback in this match, a strong first session will be extremely crucial.
India vs Australia Live Score: Onus on Shami, Siraj
Albeit India could pick only one early wicket yesterday, Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami did cause the Aussie batters a few troubles, with some of them counting on their lucks on survive.
The surface has certainly improved from a batter's perspective, but from the Indian perspective, onus will once again be on the Shami-Siraj pair to deliver, before the game enters the dreaded too-little-too-late corridor for them.
India vs Australia Live Score: Smith Brings Up Century
Steve Smith has wasted absolutely no time in bringing up his 31st Test century. In only the first over, he smashed a couple of consecutive boundaries off Mohammed Siraj's bowling, subsequently becoming the second centurion of the game.
Australia 338/3. Early signs are all about doom and gloom for India.
India vs Australia Live Score: 150 For Head
Another over, another milestone from the Australian perspective. This time around, Travis Head plays the most elegant of late cuts off Mohammed Shami's bowling, to bring up his 150. The left-handed batter is now nearing what will be his highest-ever score in Test cricket.
Australia are 351/3.
India vs Australia Live Score: Head Departs
WICKET!
It has been ages, decades, eras, centuries, but finally, a wicket has arrived for the Indian cricket team. Mohammed Siraj has done the trick for Rohit Sharma's team, with his short ball on the leg side catching an edge off Travis Head's willow, before safely resting itself onto KS Bharat's gloves.
Head departs for 163, just 13 shy of what could have been his best knock in Test cricket. Australia are 367/4.
India vs Australia Live Score: Green Arrives, Green Departs
ANOTHER WICKET!
Are India right back in business? Well, they certainly could be, as the first checkbox of 'at least two quick wickets' has been ticked. After Mohammed Siraj, it is now Mohammed Shami's turn to deliver as his delivery catches the outside edge of a Cameron Green drive, before Shubman Gill took a fantastic catch in the slip cordon.
Australia are 176/5.
India vs Australia Live Score: Shardul Sends Smith Back
PRAISE TO THE LORD!
Three Indian pacers have tried all they could, in a variety of ways, to dismiss Steve Smith, but none of them have been successful.
Yet, here comes Shardul Thakur, who has taken only a solitary delivery to send the former Australian skipper packing. Smith drags an outside-off delivery on to his stumps, as Australia lose their sixth wickets.
Score: 387/6.
India vs Australia Live Score: 400 Up For Aussies
Australia have breached the 400-run mark! It has been a scintillating batting show from the baggy greens, especially from Steve Smith and Travis Head, as the team has now entered the 400s. Following three quick wickets, Alex Carey and Mitchell Starc have somewhat stabilised the innings again.
Broadcasters have highlighted a saving grace for the Indian team – all of the last four occasions where Australia scored 400+ in the first innings and went on to lose the game, have been against India.
India vs Australia Live Score: Starc Dismissed
BRAINFADE!
What on earth was Mitchell Starc thinking? The left-armer taps the ball towards mid-off, where substitute fielder Axar Patel was stationed. Despite his shot going straight to the fielder, Starc opted for a quick single, but fell prey to a direct hit.
India will not mind it one bit, as Australia have now lost their fourth wicket since the commencement of day's play. Score: 402/7.
India vs Australia Live Score: 422/7 At Lunch
Lunch break!
If we are to analyse only this session as a standalone part of the game, India should be quite happy with how it panned out. 95 runs might have been conceded, but it also produced four wickets, including the two invaluable scalps of Steve Smith and Travis Head.
Yet, analysing the game holistically, there cannot be any denial of Australia's upper hand. Placed at 422/7, with Alex Carey looking settled after scoring 22 runs and Pat Cummins having survived 17 deliveries as well, the baggy greens might have their sight set on the 500-run mark.
For the Indians, the next three wickets should come very early in the second session, preferably before the Aussies can get near to 450. Like always, we will be bringing you all the live updates once play resumes. Till then, go grab a snack and a beverage.
India vs Australia Live Score: Steady Start For Australia
The Aussies have started the second session of Day 2 on a positive note. 21 runs have been scored in no time, and almost all of them came from boundaries off Alex Carey's willow, who has now reached forties.
Australia are 443/7.
India vs Australia Live Score: Jadeja Strikes
Alex Carey Departs!
Just when the Australian wicketkeeper was looking menacing, nearing what would have been his fourth half-century in Test cricket, he has fallen prey to Ravindra Jadeja. Opting for an audacious reverse sweep, Carey ended up exposing his pads to the Indian all-rounder, subsequently resulting in a leg before wicket.
Australia are 453/8.
India vs Australia Live Score: Third Wicket For Siraj
ANOTHER WICKET!
Nathan Lyon's stay at the crease is a short one, as in a bid to smash Mohammed Siraj for a big hit, he has got his stumps dismantled. For Siraj, this is his third scalp, making him India's most successful bowler in this Test match so far.
Australia are 469/9.
India vs Australia Live Score: Cummins Departs, Siraj Completes Four-Fer
ALL OUT!
That's it. It has taken India 729 deliveries, perhaps much more than they would have imagined, but they have finally been able to call curtains to what has been a stunning Australian batting exhibition. Skipper Pat Cummins is the last man to depart, with Mohammed Siraj completing his four-fer.
Australia are bowled out for 469. India's task is cut out, but they do have enough batting firepower in their arsenal to gain a first-innings lead. We will return shortly will live updates.
India vs Australia Live Score: Rohit Departs After Good Start
Anti-climactic!
India got off to just the perfect start, with both openers, Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, looking in sublime nick. Yet, the phase of play does not end well, with Pat Cummins leading by example by trapping his opposition counterpart, Sharma, leg before wicket.
India are 30/1.
India vs Australia Live Score: Shubman Sent Packing
ANOTHER WICKET!
Look away, Shubman Gill, you would not want to look at this again. A seemingly harmless delivery from Scott Boland, which is pitched outside off and is coming back in ever-so-slightly, but that is enough to trigger a complete misjudgment. The in-form batter offers no shot, and ends up exposing his stumps to the ball.
India are 30/2. All of the good work at the start has now been undone.
A major subplot is about to unfold: Virat Kohli vs Pat Cummins.
India vs Australia Live Score: 37/2 At Tea
This short session has belonged to Australia, as has been almost every single session of this match, with both of India's openers now back at the dressing room, and perhaps contemplating about their questionable shot selection.
Mitchell Starc did not quite look in good rhythm, but by dismissing Rohit Sharma, Pat Cummins sparked a spring in the steps of his teammates. The big wicket followed suit, with Scott Boland sending Shubman Gill back.
Currently, Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara are out at the crease for India. We will be right back after lunch, with live updates from the last session of the day's play.
India vs Australia Live Score: Pujara Gone
TROUBLE. HUGE TROUBLE.
With both openers sent back early, and the Australian bowlers looking in fine rhythm, India would have pinned all of their hopes on Cheteshwar Pujara to tire the opposition out. Instead, he now has to take the long walk back to the pavilion, having just been outdone by Cameron Green.
This is a bit like the Shubman Gill dismissal – ball pitched outside off only to come back in, and the batter having no clue whatsoever about the line to tackle. Third wicket falls for India. Warning bells have started ringing.
India vs Australia Live Score: Virat Kohli Departs
HUGE, HUGE WICKET!
The Indian camp, players and fanbase alike, is numb. Dumbfounded. They can't quite make sense of what just struck them. Fourth wicket falls, and this time, the cries of anguish are more pronounced than ever before, for the wicket is of Virat Kohli.
Mitchell Starc's delivery is angling away from Kohli, but it the bounce, not the movement, which catches Kohli by surprise. The ball bounces abnormally high, catches the handle of Kohli's bat, alongside his right thumb, and Steve Smith makes no mistake in the slip cordon.
India are 71/4. Ravindra Jadeja and Ajinkya Rahane must provide stability to the innings now, as otherwise, an unceremonious collapse could be on the cards.
India vs Australia Live Score: 100 Up For India
A lot of huffing and puffing, but finally, India enter three-figure mark.
Ajinkya Rahane will consider himself one fortunate man today, for Pat Cummins did trap him leg before wicket, albeit he over-stepped an inch too much. On the flip side, Ravindra Jadeja has adapted the Travis Head-esque counter-aggressive approach, scoring runs mostly in boundaries.
Rahane is currently unbeaten on 17, with Jadeja batting on 31. India are 111/4 as we enter the last hour of the day's play.
India vs Australia Live Score: Jadeja Departs After Commendable Knock
WICKET!
And unlike the previous four instances, Australia have had to work really hard for this breakthrough. Ravindra Jadeja's counter-attacking approach paid dividends at the Oval, with the all-rounder scoring 48 runs in 51 deliveries. Yet, he missed out on a half-century by slightest of margins, edging a Nathan Lyon delivery straight into the hands of Steve Smith at slip.
KS Bharat is the new batter in. After the end of 37 overs, India are 147/5.
India vs Australia Live Score: India 151/5 at Stumps
CURTAINS!
That's the end of day's play, and just like yesterday, the Aussies have been the dominant side of the two, yet again. India could take some positives out from their bowling effort early on, restricting Australia to a score of 469 when it once seemed that they were all set to breach the 500-run mark.
Yet, when the Indian batters came out to bat, resilience and courage were found wanting. The experienced campaigners in the likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara could not deliver, while the promising youngster, Shubman Gill also had a bad day at the office.
India end Day 2 on 151/5, but the scoreline could have been much worse had Pat Cummins not dismissed Ajinkya Rahane on a no ball, and Ravindra Jadeja not scored 48 crucial runs. With KS Bharat to accompany him, the onus is now on Rahane to script the perfect comeback story, and subsequently, lead the project rebuild of the Indian team. Yet, the climb will be steep, with the team still trailing by 318 runs.
We will be back with all the live updates from Day 3, and hopefully, it will not be as gloomy as blog, as it was today. Till then, have a great dinner, and an even better night's sleep. See ya!