Internet Desk: Australia have pushed their lead in the first Border-Gavaskar Test beyond 200 after a remarkable second session on the second day in Pune in which nine wickets fell.
India were bowled out for 105, 155 runs behind Australia’s first-innings total after a stunning collapse in the second session in Pune, with Stephen O’Keefe taking 6-35 to orchestrate the carnage.
Australia lost David Warner (10 off six) and Shaun Marsh (a 21-ball duck) before Steve Smith (27* from 48) and Peter Handscomb (8*) steered the visitors to tea 201 runs ahead.
The first Test is flying along at breakneck speed on the second day. Mitchell Starc had earlier rocked India with a double-wicket maiden, including the prize scalp of captain Virat Kohli for a duck, before the home side had rebuilt with a half-century partnership between KL Rahul and Ajinkya Rahane.
Rahul, suffering a shoulder injury that appeared to have been caused when he slogged O’Keefe for a straight six in the first session, attempted to launch the left-arm orthodox spinner again, but succeeded only in skying a catch for David Warner in the deep.
Rahul collapsed to the turf clutching his shoulder after the catch was taken and needed medical attention before he could leave the ground.
Rahane then gloved to second slip two balls later, with a brilliant low catch taken by Peter Handscomb. Rahane at first stood his ground but the catch was clean and he was sent on his way.
Wriddhiman Saha was spun out, also edging to slip, and O’Keefe had three in the over.
Next over Lyon had Ravi Ashwin defending, only for the ball to bounce off the toe of his boot and was brilliantly snaffled by Handscomb diving forward from the bat-pad position.
The spinners continued to cause havoc, with a pair of maidens, before Matthew Wade silenced doubters of his wicketkeeping ability with a sharp piece of work behind the stumps.His stumping gave O’Keefe a fourth wicket, removing the bails with Jayant Yadav’s foot still on the line with no part behind it.
Next over O’Keefe had his fifth by removing Jadeja who slogged a catch to Starc at deep midwicket. The final wicket came as Umesh Yadav attempted to slog, the edge snaffled at slip by Smith.