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Key events
119th over: Australia 347-4 (Khawaja 150, Green 95) A bouncer? A boundary! Mohammed Shami tested the youngster and Cameron Green answered in style, swiping that attempted lip-tickler to the deep square leg boundary in a flash. How will Shami respond? He bangs it in again and Green edges… but it flies wide of Virat Kohli at slip and runs away to the third man boundary. Green takes a single and a breather, content to go to lunch with his highest score banked and a first Test ton in sight. That’s nine runs from the over and we will go to Lunch.
118th over: Australia 338-4 (Khawaja 150, Green 86) Cameron Green takes an easy run from the first ball of Axar Patel’s 20th over. Patel has just one wicket for the series so far albeit at an economy rate of 2.18 – a far stretch from the 27 he took in the series against England in 2021. He’s gone from feast to famine here.
117th over: Australia 337-4 (Khawaja 150, Green 85) Fifteen minutes until lunch. Will Cameron Green go better than run-a minute to notch his ton? Or will senior man Khawaja urge caution? Mohammed Shami has returned to the fray to stop either eventuality and it is a bouncer first ball. Khawaja calmly veers away and watches it pass under his chin but that’s better intent from Shami and India. They need to shake Australia up and a little chin music might do the trick. Neither batter appears remotely fazed, running easy singles before Khawaja swivels on another attempted short ball to steer it to the fine leg boundary. That’s Usman Khawaja’s 150! It came from 346 deliveries at a strike rate of 42.
116th over: Australia 331-4 (Khawaja 145, Green 84) Axar Patel is back in the attack. He hasn’t taken a wicket but he’s been the Scrooge McDuck of spinners so far, with just 21 taken from his 18 overs. Khawaja and Green add another three singles though to make it 0-23. That gets Green to 84 – his highest Test score.
115th over: Australia 328-4 (Khawaja 143, Green 83) Khawaja carves a lovely three through deep backward point from Jadeja. Australia are really putting the foot down now. Sharma has called a council of war in the middle, three lieutenants in thee huddle including Virat Kohli. What are they planning?
114th over: Australia 325-4 (Khawaja 140, Green 83) CRACK goes Cam! Umesh Yadav should know better than to put it into Green’s fun zone but, sure enough, first ball of the over he hurled it down into that sweet spot outside off and Green unfurled a lovely drive down the ground. That felt good, Green thinks, I might have another. So fourth ball he gets down on one knee and slaps another boundary through covers. That brings up the 150 partnership – the highest of the series so far. It’s so monumental an achievement Green celebrates afresh giving the full welly to a full ball and sending it scorching to the long off boundary. Three boundaries in the over! Green suddenly has 83, one short of his highest score, the 84 against India a few summers back in Sydney.
113th over: Australia 311-4 (Khawaja 140, Green 71) Finally some spin! That first ball from Jadeja ripped out of the rough outside Khawaja’s off stump and jagged back to bounce high up on the inside edge and fly over leg stump and past the wicketkeeper for a lucky four! Khawaja knows how fortunate he was to survive that delivery and so unleashes his first reverse sweep of the day to celebrate. Six runs from the over. Is this Ahmedabad pitch about to come alive for India?
112th over: Australia 307-4 (Khawaja 134, Green 71) The Uzzie-Cam partnership is at 137 from 246 balls and the temperature is climbing at Narendra Modi Stadium. Most hot on the collar are India who are sweating bullets at not claiming a wicket today, all while licking their lips at what looks a wonderful batting pitch. Australia know it too. They will keep going while the going is good and bat as long as they can, I suspect. India won’t get a chance to bat until they get six wickets and that seems light years off at the moment. Just a single from this Yadav over.
111th over: Australia 306-4 (Khawaja 133, Green 71) Ravi Jadeja has been brought back to conjure a wicket or, at the very least, dry up the runs. We’ve had 50 of those from the 20 overs so far today, none carrying any risk but all hard-earned. Jadeja starts with a maiden.
110th over: Australia 306-4 (Khawaja 133, Green 71) Bang goes Green! Yadav tossed his first ball up full and fast and it landed in that sweet spot outside off stump and Cameron Green simply leaned that 200cm frame into the line and brought the bat down with natural power and precious little effort. Lovely shot! It skates across the baize to the boundary to take Green to 70. Umesh now has 0-82 from his 19 overs but I doubt his baby daughter will love him any less.
109th over: Australia 301-4 (Khawaja 133, Green 66) If Ravi Ashwin can’t get Usman Khawaja out, who can? That’s the furrow in captain Rohit Sharma’s brow at the moment as one run comes from the over and Australia start the climb to 400. With these two batters looking utterly untroubled, you wouldn’t bet against such a total. But if the previous Tests have proved anything, it’s that things can change very quickly in India.
108th over: Australia 300-4 (Khawaja 133, Green 65) Can the poetry of Harry Styles and the power of watermelon sugar alchemise for India in the form of a wicket? We’re about to find out. Umesh Yadav is back for another over, despite 15 runs being plundered from his first two. But he’s a soldier, Umesh, having played the third Test despite the death of his father in the hours before it began. Thankfully, as one door closed another opened, and Umesh is playing this Test as a new father, having welcomed a little girl into the world a couple of days ago. Congrats Umesh! And congrats Australia – the 300 is up.
107th over: Australia 296-4 (Khawaja 129, Green 65) The Khawaja-Green partnership is now worth 125 from 213 balls and its tempo has lifted of late, as Umesh Yadav’s first two overs of the day have gone for seven then eight. Normally Rohit Sharma would turn to his main man Ravi Ashwin but the wily warrior hasn’t provided the breakthroughs that he has in the three previous Tests. Just one run from this Ashwin over. That will be the first hour’s play done and time for Drinks – and chunks of watermelon for the India players.
106th over: Australia 295-4 (Khawaja 128, Green 65) Green ambles a single from Yadav’s first ball and leaves Khawaja to prod a simple deflection behind square. There’s a fielder in the outfield chasing but it’s perfectly placed timed and runs into the rope for Khawaja’s second four of the morning and 17th of the innings. Another fistful of singles makes it eight from the over. Australia accelerating.
105th over: Australia 288-4 (Khawaja 123, Green 62) Green resists temptation! Ashwin is trying to lure him to uncoil one of those big cover drives or hit high and long down the ground. But the big fella from Subiaco-Floreat won’t throw away his wicket that easily. After seven Test fifties he wants that debut century badly and today would be a magnificent day to notch it. He takes a single to keep things moving.
104th over: Australia 285-4 (Khawaja 122, Green 61) Sharma makes a change. It will be Umesh Yadav coming into the attack. Will a faster ball onto the bat tempt Green to swing lustily as he did yesterday? Yadav, a coal-miner’s son whose aspirations to be a policeman fell away when he answered the call as a fast-bowler, starts the day with 0-58 from his 15 overs. After singles from the first two deliveries Khawaja opens his stance a little to the third, leans away to a straighter ball and punches it to the on-side boundary. That’s Khawaja’s first boundary of the day – a testament to the patience of the man. He has now faced 305 balls! Seven runs from Yadav’s first over.
103rd over: Australia 278-4 (Khawaja 116, Green 60) Khawaja picks off another run, guiding Ashwin to point. This pitch has shown no signs of life so far. Or is it the new ball India took so presciently last night? Perhaps Rohit Sharma has run out of ideas? The bowling has been frugal this morning but toothless. Sharma has fielders at deep mid-off and long-on for the drive but just the one slip, a sure sign he’s prepared to buy a wicket on this benign surface. Green and Khawaja each add another to their total.
102nd over: Australia 275-4 (Khawaja 114, Green 59) Australia have added 20 this morning and the run-rate is slowly climbing to 2.70 but after a boundary and two singles in the last Ashwin over, the dry spell returns as Axar Patel delivers a maiden.
101st over: Australia 275-4 (Khawaja 114, Green 59) Ashwin versus Khawaja, duelling under bright skies in heavy heat. Finally, we get the single that brings up the century partnership between these two. Well done! And the waiting game is over for Cameron Green as Ashwin drifts one fuller and faster outside off and Green leans back and carves off a magnificent square cut to the boundary. That’s our first boundary of Day 2 and it’s a ripper. Green steals a single off the last ball too to make it six from the over.
100th over: Australia 269-4 (Khawaja 113, Green 54) It’s the 100th over. Will it be the 100 partnership between Khawaja and Green. The former does his bit, moseying a single from the first ball to get the union to 99 but Cameron Green doesn’t care for the numerical symmetry and flat bats the next five for no run. Bah!
99th over: Australia 268-4 (Khawaja 112, Green 54) Here comes the Master. With nothing much doing and runs slowly piling up, Rohit Sharma turns to his champion Ravi Ashwin, the 92-Test marvel with 467 wickets to show for them. Ashwin starts the day with 1-57 from his 25 overs and only the scalp of Travis Head hanging from his belt. It’s a tight start from the 36-year-old charmer from Chennai but Khawaja picks off a single from the last ball.
98th over: Australia 267-4 (Khawaja 111, Green 54) With 19 runs from his 15 overs so far, Axar Patel has been miserly. But that said, he’s yet to bag a wicket. Green hasn’t opened those shoulders this morning. Instead he’s getting low, eyes over the landing spot and playing straight. Another maiden over.
97th over: Australia 267-4 (Khawaja 111, Green 54) We didn’t get the record crowd mooted yesterday and we won’t get it today either. From early vision of the ground it seems like the entire top tier of the 132,000-capacity stadium is empty and the lower decks are pretty sparsely populated too. Not a lot to cheer for the home side yet as the Australian batters pick up where they left off, working singles with ease as they wait for a bad ball to blast into the crowd. Nojne here from Shami who is bowling tightly and now notches a maiden.
96th over: Australia 266-4 (Khawaja 111, Green 54) Khawaja plays out five sultry dots from Axar Patel before the bowler drifts one onto his pads and is clipped away for a run. Patel is wearing lurid pink-rimmed sunglasses today and my 13-year-old daughter wants a pair.
95th over: Australia 266-4 (Khawaja 110, Green 54) Like a suited gent on his way to the office pausing to flick a bug off the footpath with his umbrella, Khawaja strolls down to pick Shami’s full pitched delivery off his toes. The bowler has found his line though and there’s only a quick single to be found. Cam Green gets that elbow up nice and high to drive down the ground but after the carnage he wrought with that shot yesterday, India captain Rohit Sharma has cannily placed a man at mid-off today to stop the stroke.
94th over: Australia 265-4 (Khawaja 109, Green 54) Axar returns. Although he’s still averaging over 90 with the bat, he’s had a dry run with the ball in this series and has none-for from his 14 overs so far albeit with only 18 runs taken from them. Australia keep things ticking over with a couple more singles.
93rd over: Australia 260-4 (Khawaja 107, Green 52) Fast but loose! Shami strays onto Green’s legs and is eased away for a strolled single. The Australian run-rate is at 2.84 but Green, with eight boundaries, accelerated that significantly. Shami wasn’t awed and even tried to up the ante in return by bouncing Green. He really had to bend his back to find the top of Green’s 198cm frame though. Easy pickings from Shami so far this morning though as the Australians pick off three singles from the over
92nd over: Australia 260-4 (Khawaja 107, Green 51) Khawaja dabs Patel to point and Cameron Green slams one down the ground. Different strokes, identical results – a single on each occasion. The crowd is roaring as Mohammed Shami, the pick of the bowlers yesterday with 2-65 from 17 overs, takes the ball for the third over of the day.
91st over: Australia 258-4 (Khawaja 106, Green 50) Here we go, folks. Day two is about to get underway and it will be Ravi Jadeja to Usman Khawaja. And it’s business as usual as Khawaja glides a single to third man giving 23-year-old allrounder Cameron Green the chance to notch one too and bring up his seventh Test half-century. Is today the day the big fella brings up three figures at last (his best to date is 84)? And with a push to mid-off he gets his fifty. Well played, young man! Khawaja takes another run off the last to retain strike to… Axar Patel.
Aside from the cricket, the other talking point was the bizarre curtainraiser act of ‘Albo ‘N’ Modi’ and their enormous Fury Road-Iron Throne stadium scooter…
To everyone’s surprise, the Narendra Modi Stadium pitch that was the subject of so much conjecture and subterfuge in the lead-up to this Test, played truly yesterday. After some wild bowling from the India seamers early, it settled down into a ripe batting wicket as the bowlers struggled to find both bounce and spin, particularly as the day wore on and the ball softened. Mohammed Shami was the pick of the bowlers with two crucial wickets, including a peach to send Peter Handscomb’s off stump cartwheeling out of the ground. Shami will need more of those if India are to uproot Usman Khawaja and Cameron Green this morning. Khawaja played just two sweep shots in his 104 and barely a false stroke all day.
Very sad news today – heartfelt condolences from the OBO to Pat Cummins, whose mother Maria passed away in Sydney. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Cummins clan. The Australian team will take the field in Ahmedabad today wearing black armbands in their honour.
For those who came in late, here’s how Geoff Lemon saw Day One…
Preamble
Namaste cricket fans! Welcome back to Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad for day two of the fourth Test between India and Australia in the 2023 Border-Gavaskar series. I’m Angus Fontaine and I’ll be calling the action for you for the next few hours.
India lead the series 2-1 but Australia won the battle yesterday, thanks to Usman Khawaja’s sublime unbeaten century – his 14th in Tests and the first by an Australian in this series. The 36-year-old opener got good support from Travis Head, Steve Smith and Cameron Green who resumes today on 49 alongside Khawaja on 104 and Australia sitting pretty at 255-4.
India looked frazzled yesterday. After a surreal and protracted lap of honour for India Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australia PM Anthony Albanese, Rohit Sharma’s men bowled loosely and Travis Head merrily put them to the sword. Given a life on 7 by wicketkeeper KS Bharat, Head walloped 32 before wobbling a catch to Ravi Jadeja. Marnus Labuschagne inside-edged onto his stumps soon after, and Steve Smith – the subject of growing retirement rumours – did likewise for 38. At that stage, it was anyone’s game.
But after Peter Handscomb blazed brightly and briefly, 60-Test veteran Khawaja and 20-Test wunderkind Green stylishly steered Australia to safety and, ultimately ascendency in this Test.
In Australia’s last two Test tours of India, Khawaja couldn’t make the XI, derided for averaging 14.62 from five Tests in Asia and written off as a bunny against spin. But Khawaja jolted that perception with 85 and 141 v Pakistan in Dubai in 2018, and then squashed it on the tour of Pakistan last year by peeling off 160, 44 not out, 91 and 104 not out in the land of his birth.
Here in India, after being dismissed on the third ball of the series for 0, the Islamabad-born, Sydney-raised Queenslander has been Australia’s most reliable batter, with 81 in Delhi and 60 in Indore. Yesterday’s 104* was his masterpiece. Khawaja survived 251 deliveries (the longest innings of the series) and hit 15 fours to become the leading run-scorer on both sides.
After averaging 14.62 in his first five Tests in Asia, Khawaja now averages 74.60 from 11 Tests since. Since his his return to the Test side last year, he has stroked 1532 runs at 69.63 in 16 Tests. Nobody in world cricket has accumulated more runs in the last 14 months. And did we mention that Khawaja also now boasts the highest batting average for an opener in Test history with 68.38?
But enough from me. Here’s someone who sings Usman Tariq Khawaja’s praises far more eloquently…
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