Despite not having not run through the Australian batting line-up mon the second day, the Indian bowlers have maintained a tight grip over proceedings, not allowing the visiting batsmen to run away with the game on the second day.
The Australians have accumulated their runs at a slow rate and in the process have lost wickets at critical junctures in the game, particularly when the visitors were looking like they would go into the lunch and the tea breaks with the advantage at their disposal.
Prior to the Tea break, the Aussies found themselves at 1603 for 3 when coming in to bowl the 77th over of the innings, Peter Handscomb flicked Ravindra Jadeja to the mid-wicket area where Ravichandran Ashwin claimed a superb overhead catch to give his spin counterpart his second wicket of the innings.
Replays, though, showed a slightly different story. On landing down after grabbing the ball, the sphere had slipped out of Ashwin’s hand, before landing on his wrist and touching his shoulder before he eventually got firm control of it.
The 30-year-old was clearly ecstatic with picking up the catch and nodded in approval of having taken it cleanly.It was a terrific catch, considering that Ashwin is not the best of fielders in this present Indian unit, but has worked very hard over the years on his fielding.
The wicket meant that India further put the breaks on the Australian scoring rate and kept the run flow under check, something that was needed to be done considering that they were defending a mere 189.
Matt Renshaw produced yet another excellent knock for the visitors, making 60 before becoming Jadeja’s first victim of the day.
Twitter was full of praise for Ashwin for his catch:
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