Australia tightened its grip on the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Adelaide, ending Day 2 with India struggling at 128/5 in their second innings. Trailing by 29 runs, the visitors face a daunting task to avoid another defeat under the lights.
After dismissing Australia for 337 earlier in the day, India’s response faltered under relentless pressure from Australia’s seamers. KL Rahul was dismissed early for 7 by Pat Cummins, setting the tone for the innings. Shubman Gill looked promising with a knock of 28 but was undone by a searing delivery from Mitchell Starc.
Virat Kohli, who failed to find his rhythm, fell for 11 to Scott Boland. The collapse continued as captain Rohit Sharma, saved briefly by a no-ball, managed only 6 runs before being bowled by Cummins. Yashasvi Jaiswal, the hero of the last match, was caught behind for 24 after a brilliant delivery from Boland.
At stumps, Rishabh Pant provided some resistance with an unbeaten 28 off 25 balls, while Nitish Kumar Reddy, who scored 42 in the first innings, remained not out on 15. India trails Australia’s first-innings lead by 29 runs.
Australia’s first innings was powered by a brilliant 140 off 141 balls from Travis Head. Resuming at 86/1, the hosts added 105 runs in the morning session, with Head and Marnus Labuschagne (64) laying a strong foundation. Head’s counter-attacking knock, featuring 17 fours and four sixes, put India’s bowlers on the back foot.
Labuschagne was dismissed by Nitish Kumar Reddy in the second session, but Head continued to punish the Indian attack. His 111-ball century marked another milestone in his golden run against India. Mohammed Siraj eventually ended Head’s innings, but Australia had already secured a sizable lead.
Jasprit Bumrah, with figures of 4/61, was the pick of the Indian bowlers. Siraj contributed with 4/98, while Ravichandran Ashwin and Nitish Kumar Reddy claimed one wicket each.
India began the match on a shaky note, bowled out for 180 on Day 1. Contributions from Nitish Kumar Reddy (42), KL Rahul (37), and Shubman Gill (31) helped steady the innings after early collapses, but the team failed to build substantial partnerships. Mitchell Starc starred with the ball, claiming 6/63 in a devastating spell.