NEW DELHI: Test cricket is most fun when a team fights fire with fire. For 90 overs on Day 1 of the Ranchi Test, the Indian bowling was made to look pretty ordinary, first by Australia skipper Steve Smith and then comeback man Glenn Maxwell. If at all, anything could have lifted them was a better showing with the ball, and then hope their batsmen responded well.
India did exactly that on the second day. Even in the absence of Virat Kohli, who was confined to the dressing room after he had injured his shoulder the previous day, the Indian bowling, led by Ravindra Jadeja's second five-wicket haul of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, eighth of his career, helped dismiss Australia for 451. The tourists were led by Smith, who remained unbeaten on an epic 178* and became the first Australian and the fifth visiting captain to notch up a 150-plus score in India.
India's response was on par with that of Australia. At stumps, they are a wicket down for 120, behind Australia by 331 runs. With Australia having posted their eighth 400-plus total in the country, India began watchfully, and played out the remaining eight overs before tea even as Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins made the ball seam off the surface. KL Rahul settled in with three boundaries while Vijay was content playing for the break. However, post tea is when both batsmen showed just how easy batting was on this surface.
Rahul led India's response with his fourth half-century of the series. His backfoot play was once again one for the purists. He pushed, drove and flicked with panache, and barring one edge off Steve O' Keefe, everything else was dealt well. If in Pune, Rahul showed he can stand up in adversity, and in Bengaluru, proved that he is capable of scoring consistently, he took it a notch further in Ranchi.
That is, before Cummins foxed him with a slower bouncer and repaid Smith's confidence in him who persisted with the bowler for the speed generating. Vijay, playing his 50th Test, batted with a subdued approach before getting into his elements once Rahul exited and picked up his first boundary after 51 deliveries. Throughout, he played the sweep shot with perfection and collected three fours off Nathan Lyon's eighth over. Otherwise, just like their counterpart R Ashwin and Jadeja, the spin of Lyon and O'Keefe, for the first time this series, hardly resulted in any exciting moments for Australia; though they will be hoping one of them pulls off a Jadeja-like performance.
Jadeja's timely strikes - he finished with 5/124 - ensured that India did not concede those late runs by the lower-order they are habitual of. Smith remained 22 away from what would have been his second double-century in Tests. The other highlight of the innings remained Maxwell, who scored his maiden Test century.
Maxwell became just the second Australian batsman after Shane Watson to strike a century in all three formats when he fiercely cut a delivery from Umesh Yadav towards the third-man boundary. A jubilant Maxwell removed his helmet and kissed the badge, congratulated by an overjoyed Smith. Maxwell soaked it in and there was no dramatic celebration.
The first ball of the day however, was a polar opposite when a ball Umesh found Maxwell's bat just below the logo and broke it in two. Barring that, everything else found the middle. Four balls later, Maxwell square drove Umesh for his first boundary of the day and later followed it with a four towards third-man off Ishant Sharma to enter the 90s, where he consumed 19 balls before reaching the three-figure mark.
Jadeja broke the massive 191-run stand between Maxwell and Smith. He did not give away even a single run his first 20 balls of the day. The 21st fetched him the much-needed breakthrough for India. Maxwell poked outside off, offered a faint nick and it was taken by Wriddhiman Saha.
Smith continued to hold the innings together. He scored three boundaries in the session, and all three came off Ishant who didn't find much reverse and pitched it wrong several occasions. The only moment of nervousness for Smith also came off Ishant, when he inside edged a length ball outside off. To his respite, the ball fell an inch in front of a diving Saha. In Smith's company, Matthew Wade found his confidence and established himself on the crease with six fluent boundaries. Wade's 37 came off 50 balls and took his partnership with Smith to 64.
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