Pat Cummins' Australian team appears to be just a little away from a big win after stumps on day 2 of the second Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test which is being played at the Adelaide Oval. Travis Head's explosive century followed by the lethal attack of the Aussie pacers have put the Rohit Sharma-led Indian cricket team in a spot of bother. Before the day came to an end, half of the Indian batting line-up was back in the dugout.
Travis Head lead charge with bat
India did start the day well after premium pacer Jasprit Bumrah removed the overnight opener Nathan McSweeney and Steve Smith early on and gave the Aussies a big blow. However, Marnus Labuschagne steadied the ship along with Travis Head and even completed his half-century. Nitish Reddy did remove Labuschagne and ended his knock at 64 but it did not smooth things too much for the visitors as Travis Head completely destroyed the Indian bowling attack.
Travis Head was at his very best during the pink-ball Test as he smashed his 8th century in Test cricket and 3rd on the Adelaide Oval ground. His knock made sure that the Australian team would gain a big lead over India. Head played a 140-run knock which could possibly also be match-winning for the hosts before Mohammed Siraj got his wicket and gave India some relief.
However, despite his departure, Head ensured that Australia managed to put 337 runs on board and gain a massive 157-run lead in the first innings.
Indian top-order collapse
India had the uphill task of bringing down the 157-run lead and later setting a big target and it appeared to be too much as their top order completely collapsed in front of the Aussie pace attack. Five Indian batters were back in the pavilion in just 24 overs.
At the end of day 2, India is reeling at 128/5 with Rishabh Pant and Nitish Reddy still on the pitch. The pair is India's last hope as they still trail behind by 29 runs. However, momentum shifts quickly when players come to bat again after stumps as seen in McSweeney's dismissal early on Day 2. Things won't be easy for Indian set batters when they take the field again on Day 3.
