Stumps on Day 2. A day of toil for India. The morning started well enough with Bumrah removing both openers quickly and then Nitish Reddy getting rid of Labuschagne soon after. Post lunch though, India were just hunting leather as Travis Head got going once more. He arrived at the crease when Australia were 75/3 and by the time he was finally dismissed for 152, he'd taken Australia to a position of strength at 327/6. He scored freely from the moment he came to the crease and initially, almost helped Smith along at the other end. Once the partnership started to blossom, Smith started to find his groove too and they piled on the runs.
The much-anticipated encounter between India and Australia at the Gabba in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy got off to a delayed start, with only 13 overs bowled on the first morning due to persistent rain showers. This was a far from ideal beginning for either side, both of whom understand the importance of this match in determining the series winner and the fate of the World Test Championship. Despite the weather, both teams remain optimistic, knowing that the fast-paced cricket seen so far in this series could lead to an exciting contest, even in a shortened time frame.
Indian captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and made the surprising decision to bowl first, despite the pitch being traditionally favorable for batting early on. Pat Cummins, the Australian skipper, also admitted that he would have chosen to bowl had he won the toss, suggesting that both teams were keen to make the most of the overcast conditions and the damp pitch.
However, India’s bowlers failed to fully exploit the favorable conditions. The ball didn’t swing as much as expected, and the Australian opening pair of Usman Khawaja and Nathan McSweeney looked comfortable.
Akash Deep to Mitchell Starc, 1 run, length delivery on middle, tapped towards mid-wicket for one
Australia puts 400 runs on the board in the 99th over with Alex Carrey and Mitchell Starc on the crease
Delicately done, length delivery on middle-leg, Carey leant across and just used the pace to paddle it fine
Starc would like to contribute with bat as well
Siraj finally has a wicket, he doesn't look overly thrilled about it though. Good length delivery on off-stump, ran in and hit the deck hard, Cummins' weight was going away from the ball and he just hung his bat out at it, it caught a thick outside edge and Pant did the rest. India end what's really been another damaging partnership.
Length delivery on off-stump by Siraj, Cummins hangs back and just eases it through point for a couple of runs
Jadeja to Carey, no run, length delivery just outside off, Carey presses back and knocks it towards mid-on
Banged in short outside off, Carey was running down the pitch and made a late adjustment, got his bat high and just swatted it over mid-on
3 runs, full outside off, Carey shuffes down the track and carves it away through to deep cover, they get back for three
Nitish Reddy to Cummins, 1 run, pitched up full and outside off, Cummins throws his hands at it and slices it away to deep backward point
Now, Siraj had just handed his cap to the umpire and had gone up to his mark, something changed and now it's Reddy who's going to bowl
2 runs, length delivery outside off, Carey skips down the track looking to loft it over extra cover but he doesn't get it out of the middle, sweeper cover keeps it down to two
Akash Deep to Cummins, no run, full and shaping into off-stump, Cummins prods forward looking to drive and gets a thick outside edge that goes to the right of gully
1 run, good length delivery on off-stump, Cummins just blocks it towards mid-off and they get a single
Very full just outside off stump by Akashdeep, Carey skipped down the track and turned it into a low full-toss before pushing it through the gap at extra cover
Captain Patt Cummins and Alex Carrey on the crease trying to put more runs on the board
Bumrah strikes again and sends of Travis Head. Bumrah has five and he's finally put an end to Travis Head's merry. Pitched up full and outside off, just a hint of movement away, Head throws his hands at it looking to nail it through cover, feet didn't move and he could only manage a thick outside edge that flew to Pant who made no mistake
Bumrah strikes again. Caught by Kohli!! Edged and caught! Bumrah continues to produce for India, but he's been the only one doing so. On a good length and holding its line outside off - Marsh is tentatively forward in defence, the ball holds its line and finds the edge, goes at a good height to second slip where Kohli clutches it reverse cupped.
Akash Deep to Smith, no run, a corker, but Akash Deep remains unlucky, on a good length and shaping back into the right-hander, draws Smith forward and then rips past the outside edge
It took time, but Smith has his 33rd Test hundred, raucous celebrations in the crowd, but it's more muted from the batter - removes his helmet, lifts his bat towards all corners of Gabba and then leaps in delight. Has there been a more popularrt hundred in recent times? He certainly looks very relieved - was a full ball that was nudged down to long leg and he immediately called for a single
Jaiswal is celebrating, Bumrah is appealing, but umpire Richard Kettleborough shakes his head, but he wants to have a look at this. Is it a bump ball - just one replay, the crowd go up in delight, it's bounced right off the ground and into the hand sof gully. Was a yorker length delivery outside off and Head was looking to squeeze it away
Head doesn't seem to care about the ball and welcomes Bumrah with a Four on a lenght ball
Edged, but today is Smith's lucky day, and the ball drops well in front of Rohit at slip - fuller length delivery and he has a feel for it
Head slams a Four to long-off. He leans forward and bludgeons the drive, straight of mid-off and the ball races away
Siraj to Smith, no run, fraction full and at the stumps, Smith shuffles across and defends it to the on-side
Closing on a century, Smith seems dangerous
On a good length and just outside off stump, Smith hops across in defence and sends the ball back to the bowler
Rohit runs across from slip, has a chat with his bowler and then runs back to his position - a wide slip, gully and a third man in place
FOUR, to deep extra cover, Smith nearing a potential century
Fuller length delivery and well wide of off stump by NKR, Smith reaches out and caresses the drive wide of cover, and gets 4 runs
India in urgent need to get a breakthrough
Jadeja drops the ball short and wide of off, Head backs away and cracks it in front of square on the off-side, sends it racing away to the ropes
Dropped by Rohit at slip. Head steals a couple of runs
FOUR, drilled, the runs keep flowing for Head - overpitched by Nitish, Head leans forward, presents the full face of the bat and drives it back past the non-striker for a boundary
Jadeja to Head, 2 runs, that was close, tossed up and turning into the left-hander, wasn't short enough for the cut and Head almost dragged it back onto his stumps, just missed the leg-stump by a whisker
Australia's session through and through, they get through unscathed and the runs came at a healthy pace courtesy Travis Head. He's taken a real liking to India over the past year or so and continued to torment them today. He scored at will, rotated the strike nicely when he wasn't crunching them to the boundary and notched up his 9th Test century. He came in when Australia were 75/3 and the game was certainly in the balance but his century has completely turned things in Australia's favour. Meanwhile, Steve Smith has been settling into his groove as well, he looked a lot easier at the crease as the session progressed and started to bring out some of the shots he plays when in top touch. India looked bereft of ideas and deflated. The field followed the ball and they've completely lost control of proceedings. We'll be back after tea.
India's bane Travis Head notches up another spectacular and game-changing hundred! Bumrah goes for the yorker on middle, ends up being a low full-toss that Head whips through wide mid-on, they get back for three and the crowd rises to applaud, Head takes off his helmet and perches it on the bat handle, raises both up and celebrates
1 run and strikes comes back to Head. Head at 98
Length delivery outside off, width on offer, Smith presses back and punches it away firmly through point, played it right under his eyes, lovely timing
Head hits Bumrah to a Four. Head just drives it on the up and through mid-on and moves to 97 runs
A four to deep mid wicket. Back of a length just outside off stump Delivery by Nitish Reddy, Smith picked it up early and heaved it away up and over mid-wicket, never wanted to keep it down, vast open spaces there and he gets four
Length delivery outside off delivery by Nitish Reddy, fraction short short and wide, Head absolutely hammered it towards point, was in the air and not far to Kohli's left, he just flinched and looked to take evasive action, might not have spotted it off the bat
200 comes for Australia
Length delivery on off-stump by Jadeja, Head presses back and across before slapping it firmly through cover
length delivery just outside off stump by Siraj, Head hung back and stayed leg-side, opened the face of the bat and carved it up and hits a Four over gully
With 1 more run, loud cheers as Smith gets to fifty, tossed up full on middle, Smith knocks it towards a deep-ish mid-on and gets across, measured celebration from Smith, just a raise of the bat to acknowledge the applause
Four to third man. Length delivery slanting across just outside off, Head hung back and slashed hard at it, it wasn't quite wide enough for the cut and it just flew over the slips off a thick top-edge
FOUR, to backward square leg, the partnership between Head Smith reached to 100+ runs. Banged in short on middle-leg, got about shoulder-high, Head latched on to it very quickly and pulled it right into the gap at backward square leg
length delivery just outside off stump by Siraj, punched nicely towards cover but the man there puts a stop to it with a dive to his right, just a single for Smith