Opener Usman Khawaja hit a remarkable 180 and Cameron Green made a maiden century before Australia were bowled out for 480 by India on day two of the fourth Test on Friday. Ravichandran Ashwin took five wickets but Khawaja’s mammoth knock off 422 balls and his 208-run fifth-wicket partnership with Green put the tourists in the box seat in Ahmedabad.
The left-handed Khawaja finally fell lbw to Axar Patel’s left-arm spin on the first ball of the third session after the on-field umpire ruled not out but India successfully reviewed.
Todd Murphy (41) and Nathan Lyon (34) kept the Indian bowlers frustrated in a 70-run stand for the ninth wicket before Ashwin broke through for his 32nd five-wicket haul in Tests.
Ashwin trapped Murphy, a left-hand batsman and off-spinner, lbw and then sent back Lyon to wrap up the innings. In what has been a low-scoring series, giant all-rounder Green got his first international hundred with a boundary in the second session and was greeted with a hug from Khawaja, before falling for 114.
Ashwin snared two wickets in one over after a wicketless first session for the hosts. He broke the Khawaja-Green stand — Australia’s highest Test partnership in India since 1979 — after he got Green caught behind on a delivery sliding down the leg side.
Khawaja, who struck his first Indian Test ton on day one and 14th overall, kept up the grind to break the Australian record for longest Test innings in India. The previous record was Graham Yallop’s 392-ball knock in Kolkata, also in 1979.
Khawaja resumed on his overnight 104 and took charge after Australia elected to bat in their bid to square the series 2-2. The hosts need a win to clinch the four-match series and secure a berth in the World Test Championship final in June at The Oval.
Steve Smith is captaining Australia in the absence of regular Test skipper Pat Cummins. Australia’s players wore black armbands on Friday after it was announced that Cummins’ mother had died.
Source: eNCA
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