Perth, Nov 23: Yashasvi Jaiswal combined game awareness with perfect shot selection while KL Rahul remained technically unflappable in an unbroken opening stand of 172 as India looked set to bat Australia out of the match with an overall lead of 218 runs on the second day of the opening Test here. After skipper Jasprit Bumrah's game-changing 11th five-wicket haul decimated Australia for 104, young Jaiswal (90 batting, 193 balls) and seasoned Rahul (62 batting, 154 balls) decided to grind it out with some old fashioned Test match batting by waiting for the loose deliveries and respecting good fast bowling. Yashasvi Jaiswal Teases Marnus Labuschagne, Stays Outside Crease As He Asks Australian Cricketer to Run Him Out During IND vs AUS 1st Test 2024 (Watch Video).
The Indians showed their compact defense by scoring 88 runs in 31 overs during the post-tea session as Jaiswal inched towards a coveted ton on his maiden outing on Australian soil. With enough time at their disposal and signs of cracks appearing on the surface, this is going to be India's Test match to lose. The way Rahul wore down the Australian attack was a sight to behold.
There was no chatter from the slip cordon and at one point, the stitches of the Kookaburra came out. The live grass died by the second afternoon and the seam movement also went out of equation making batting easier. But no one can take away any credit from the two who were hardly troubled except for a mix-up that could have led to Rahul's run-out.
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