Australia Dominates at MCG Test: Jaiswal’s Resilience and Smith’s Century Highlight Day Two
CricketPanditAustralia maintained their stronghold at the MCG Test, despite a determined effort from Yashasvi Jaiswal, as India ended the day at 164 for 5, trailing the hosts by 310 runs. Scott Boland and Pat Cummins played crucial roles after Steve Smith notched his 11th Test century against India, the most by any player in this format against them.
Jaiswal bounced back from his lackluster performances in Adelaide and Brisbane, taking on the Australian bowlers on Day 2 and crafting a commendable innings. He was aggressive with his footwork against the pace attack and handled Nathan Lyon comfortably in the favorable batting conditions. He also targeted Mitchell Marsh, positioning himself well for a potential century.
Kohli showed discipline, carefully judging balls outside off stump as the Australian quicks persistently tempted him to play, with a slip cordon ready for any mistakes. Kohli had practiced this scenario with Harshit Rana and Prasidh Krishna in the nets before the match, and he successfully let many deliveries pass. With edges not carrying, the pacers adjusted their line, allowing Kohli to build his innings with some well-timed flicks and pulls.
However, in the final hour of play, a moment of hesitation saw both batsmen back in the pavilion. Jaiswal was run out for 82 after hitting a ball to mid-on and sprinting for a single, while Kohli, reluctant to run, stayed put, leading to Jaiswal’s dismissal. Just seven balls later, Kohli edged a delivery from Scott Boland—one he had mostly let go during the session—departing for 36. Boland continued to apply pressure, dismissing night watchman Akash Deep and leaving India at five down.
The home side’s advantage at the end of the second day was largely due to Steve Smith’s impressive century in the morning. Smith navigated a brief challenge from Jasprit Bumrah while accumulating runs off Deep at the other end, further solidifying his team’s dominance established by the top order on the first day.
Smith faced a few false shots against Deep, but none led to his dismissal. He further emphasized his dominance by scoring runs easily, as Deep gave away 30 runs in his five-over spell. The change bowlers struggled to contain the runs as well, with Siraj having a tough day, finishing with figures of 0 for 122 in 23 overs.
Smith and Cummins quickly added runs in the first hour until Jadeja finally dismissed the Australian captain for 49. However, Smith went on to secure his 34th Test century, his fifth at the MCG, and then shifted gears to take on both Jadeja and Washington Sundar. Mitchell Starc also joined in, even hitting Jasprit Bumrah for a six towards the end of the session. The Lunch break provided a much-needed pause for a struggling India, who managed to strike early in the second session.
Jadeja cleaned up Starc, and Deep got lucky by removing Smith—who attempted a big shot through the off-side, only for the ball to deflect off his leg and dislodge a bail as he watched in disbelief. Bumrah soon wrapped up the innings, but India’s response fell short once again.
Rohit Sharma opened the innings but was quickly sent back by his counterpart after attempting a pull shot on a ball that wasn’t short enough. KL Rahul and Jaiswal began to build a partnership, but Cummins halted their progress with a remarkable delivery that straightened off a length, catching Rahul off guard and cleaning him up just before Tea.
The difference between a resilient response and a disappointing one for India hinged on the Kohli-Jaiswal partnership, which seemed promising until it was unexpectedly broken. India lost three wickets for just six runs during this phase, allowing Australia to maintain complete control of the match.
Brief scores: India 164/5 (Yashasvi Jaiswal 82; Pat Cummins 2-57, Scott Boland 2-24) trail Australia 474 (Steve Smith 140, Marnus Labuschagne 72; Jasprit Bumrah 4-99) by 310 runs.
