Goodness me! It seems like this Test will not even last three days. Pujara is taken aback but has no choice but to depart. Lyon pitches the ball short, and Pujara assumes he can play it off the back foot. He moves deep into the crease and tries to force it through the off-side, but the ball stays low and spins in sharply from outside off, comfortably beating Pujara and crashing into the middle stump. Although playing off the back foot was not a wise decision, Pujara was undone by the lack of bounce.
Earlier, Australian left-arm spinner Kuhnemann got both the Indian spinner with amazing bowling. In his first over, Kuhnemann manages to get a significant breakthrough by dismissing Rohit, who was in top form for the Indian team. Despite getting a couple of chances in the opening over, Rohit failed to capitalize on them. Although Australia missed these opportunities, they can now breathe a sigh of relief as it did not affect them much.
Rohit observes the spin on a few deliveries and decides to take on Kuhnemann, but he is deceived by the flight of the ball, which dips and turns away, beating his shot. Carey, the wicketkeeper, completes the catch skillfully, as the ball bounced awkwardly. Replays indicate that Carey’s glovework was excellent, considering the level of difficulty involved.
After that, Kuhnemann is in fine form, having taken his second wicket in just three deliveries. He bowls an exceptional delivery that induces an edge from Gill. The ball, delivered slower and around off-stump, entices Gill to play forward before turning away and catching the outside edge of his bat. The catch is comfortably taken by Smith at slip. With both openers dismissed, Australia now have an opportunity to put pressure on India’s struggling middle order.
The 2023 Border-Gavaskar Trophy has made its way to Indore, where the home team is determined to maintain their impressive performance and secure a 3-0 lead to guarantee their spot in the World Test Championship final. Meanwhile, the Australian team, led by Steve Smith, will be determined to make a comeback, particularly since they are currently missing the talents of Pat Cummins.
