Live Score
Cricket Teams
Cricket Players
Watch: Rohit Sharma left clueless, caught in ‘no man’s land' as Nathan Lyon rattles his stumps in 2nd Test
Caught in two minds, Rohit Sharma played for the turn and the ball went on with the angle to rattle his stumps. The celebration from the Australians said it all. The Indian captain and the only centurion of the first Test, was back in the hut for 32.
Nathan Lyon gave India one body blow after another as Australia came roaring back on Day 2 of the second Test against India in Delhi. Lyon, who was overshadowed by debutant Todd Murphy in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy opener in Nagpur, showed his class by dismissing India's top-order on Saturday. The off-spinner accounted for KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, and Cheteshwar Pujara in the morning session with largely similar deliveries bowled from around the wicket. After a brief pause, he also dismissed Shreyas Iyer, who returned to the XI after recovering from an injury, replacing Suryakumar Yadav.
An out-of-form KL Rahul was Lyon's first victim. He survived the first half hour that included a couple of reviews but was outfoxed by the great off-spinner in the 18th over. Lyon got one just to turn a bit after pitching it on the off stump. Rahul, as he so often does, lunged forward with bat and pad close together but the turn did him. The ball missed his bat and hit him on the knee roll. The umpire had no doubts about raising his finger. Rahul took a review, hoping that the turn would take past the leg stump but that wasn't to be. It was the umpire's call and he had to go back for 17.
INDIA VS AUSTRALIA 2nd TEST LIVE SCORE
In the next over, Lyon got an even bigger fish, perhaps the biggest of them all on current form. He found the perfect length and this time the ball didn't turn. Rohit was neither forward, nor back. Caught in two minds, he played for the turn and the ball went on with the angle to rattle his stumps. The celebration from the Australians said it all. The Indian captain and the only centurion of the first Test, was back in the hut for 32.
Ravi Shastri, who was in the commentary box, summed the dismissal perfectly. “Caught in no man's land,” he said.
Watch Video: Nathan Lyon cleans up Rohit Sharma in India vs Australia 2nd Test
Pujara, in his 100th Test, was the next to go. He rode his luck when Australia did not opt for a review off Lyon's ball but they did not make the same mistake in the next over. Pujara got out much like the way Rahul was. He failed to put his front pad away from the line of the ball, which once again turned just enough to evade the inside edge. Pujara was given not out by the on-field umpire but keeper Alex Carey was absolutely confident that it was pad first. They went for the review and bang! It was indeed pad first and the ball slammed straight on the stumps.
Lyon was a bit lucky for the fourth wicket. It was more of Peter Handscomb's wicket. He took a brilliant catch at forward short leg. Iyer flicked it from the middle of the bat but Handscomb stood firm and somehow managed to grab the ball with the help of his legs and body.
