The first session of Day 2 of the fourth Border Gavaskar Trophy 2023 Test was all about the unswerving resilience of Australian batters, as the Indians conceded 92 runs without any wickets to show for. The baggy greens are 347/4 at lunch on the second day, here at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
The pair of Usman Khawaja and Cameron Green looked in undisputed control of the proceedings, with the latter bringing up his seventh Test half-century in only the first over of the day. After a cautious first ten overs, which yielded only 14 runs, the visitors eventually decided to switch gears.
The 16th over of the day, bowled by Umesh Yadav, not only produced eight runs but also saw Khawaja and Green recording the highest partnership of this series. A couple of overs later, the 300-run mark was breached as well, as Rohit Sharma’s bowlers toiled, laboured and wandered – all to no avail.
Whilst the hosts rarely were given any opportunity of breaking the partnership, Ravindra Jadeja did manage to beat Khawaja with his spin and catch the batter’s inside edge in the process. Yet, the entire ordeal did not result in any productive outcome as the ball flew past a helpless KS Bharat behind the stumps.
India vs Australia, 4th Test: Usman Khawaja brought up his 150.
(Photo: BCCI)
150 for Usman Khawaja
Yadav, in particular, proved to be expensive as the next over saw him conceding 12 runs, courtesy of three boundaries off Green’s willow. As the youngster marched towards what would be a perfectly deserved ton, Khawaja brought up his 150 with an elegant pull off Mohammed Shami’s bowling.
This is only the fifth time that the 36-year-old batter has scored 150 or more runs in Test cricket, whilst a bigger achievement is there for the taking, as he does not have a Test double century to his name. Khawaja remains unbeaten on 150, with Green batting on 95 runs off 135 deliveries.
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