On day two of the World Test Championship final, Mohammed Siraj's impressive four-wicket haul led a resolute fightback for India as they bowled out Australia for 469 in 121.3 overs of their first innings. However, Pat Cummins and Scott Boland struck back, dismissing Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill in quick succession, leaving India at 37/2 in 10 overs at Tea.
With a deficit of 432 runs, India's hopes rest on the experienced duo of Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli, who remain unbeaten on 3 and 4 respectively. The final session holds great importance as India looks to mount a strong batting response.
India started positively, with Rohit confidently pulling a short ball from Mitchell Starc and driving him through the gap for two boundaries. Gill joined the action with a glorious drive off Cummins, followed by a cracking pull shot over mid-on for another boundary.
However, Cummins had his revenge by inducing inward movement to trap Rohit lbw for 15. In the next over, Gill misjudged a delivery from Boland, which crashed into his off-stump without offering a shot.
Pujara and Kohli steadied the innings until Tea, with cricket enthusiasts eagerly anticipating another gripping session of Test cricket.
Earlier in the day, Australia resumed from their overnight score of 327/3, with Steve Smith registering his 31st Test century and Travis Head crossing 150 for the fourth time in his career, leading to a massive 285-run partnership for the fourth wicket. However, India's bowlers fought back, taking the remaining seven wickets to bowl out Australia for 469 on a pitch offering some movement and variable bounce.
Mohammed Siraj stood out with figures of 4/108, becoming the 42nd Indian bowler to claim 50 wickets in Tests. Mohammed Shami and Shardul Thakur took two wickets each, while Ravindra Jadeja contributed with one scalp.
The second session witnessed traces of variable bounce, with Alex Carey playing some aggressive shots before falling lbw to Jadeja for 48. Siraj claimed his 50th Test wicket by rattling Nathan Lyon's off-stump, and he also dismissed Cummins, caught at extra cover, to conclude Australia's innings.
As the match progresses, all eyes will be on India's batting stalwarts as they seek to mount a strong response to Australia's challenging total.
Brief Scores: Australia 469 in 121.3 overs (Travis Head 163, Steve Smith 121; Mohammed Siraj 4/108, Shardul Thakur 2/83) lead India 37/2 in 10 overs (Rohit Sharma 15; Scott Boland 1/2, Pat Cummins 1/20) by 432 runs