India vs Australia: Visitors Seize Initiative With 48-Run Lead In Bengaluru

Australia ended Day 2 of the second Test at 237 for six, taking a lead of 48 runs over India thanks to solid half-centuries from opener Matt Renshaw and Shaun Marsh. Resuming the day at 40 for no loss, the visitors managed to score 197 runs in the day while the Virat Kohli-led Indian cricket team could only manage to pick six wickets in the entire day at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Ravindra Jadeja was the most successful of Indian bowlers, picking up 3 for 49 in his 17 overs.

Openers David Warner and Matt Renshaw added 12 more runs to the Australian tally before off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin struck in the first hour of play on Sunday.

Ashwin bowled Warner, bringing the crowd in the stadium to life. The left-handed Warner was beaten by a delivery that turned enough from the rough just outside his leg stump to pass the bat and clip the off stump. It was the eighth time Ashwin claimed Warner's wicket in 12 Tests.

Then left-arm spinner Jadeja struck a key blow to remove Australia skipper Steve Smith as India took two wickets in a tight morning session.

Smith, who scored a gritty century in Australia's opening win in Pune, was made to battle hard and had made just eight runs off 52 balls before an inside edge popped up a diving catch to wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha, scrambling to his left just before lunch.

At Stumps on Day 2 of the 2nd Test, Australia 237/6, lead India (189) by 48 runs #INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/Rwvs5VLd3m

— BCCI (@BCCI) March 5, 2017

The visitors were 87 for two at lunch with Matt Renshaw and Shaun Marsh at the crease, 102 runs behind India's first innings total of 189.

Renshaw, who started the day on 15, lost his partner Warner early but kept a probing Indian bowling attack at bay while just 47 runs were scored in the session.

India's pace spearhead Ishant Sharma, who was engaged in a stream of constant banter with Smith, and fellow seamer Umesh Yadav also got help from a pitch that offered variable bounce, making life difficult for the batsmen in an attritional session.

Later, Jadeja led India's spirited attack as the visitors endured a tough session despite a fighting half-century from Renshaw. Ishant trapped Mitchell Marsh lbw for nought at the stroke of tea with Australia at 163 for five. Shaun Marsh was batting on 38.

Jadeja got two more wickets, putting the visitors through their paces as they trailed by 26 runs.

That's stumps! A cracking day of Test cricket with Matt Renshaw and Shaun Marsh leading the way for Australia #INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/kiSlypBJmW

— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) March 5, 2017

Renshaw put up stubborn resistance with his 196-ball 60 before falling to Jadeja's spin. He put on a crucial 52-run stand with Marsh to keep the Indian attack temporarily at bay as runs came at a miserly rate of roughly two an over.

The left-handed opener looked ready to accelerate after hitting Jadeja for the first six of the match, but the bowler got his revenge two balls later. Jadeja saw Renshaw emerge from his crease and fired the ball down the leg side as wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha completed the stumping in quick time.

The final session of play yielded only one wicket as Shaun Marsh fell to Umesh Yadav, his first scalp of the match.

Importantly, Australia made sure they slowly kept the scoreboard ticking to move past India's total and ended the day with a lead of 48 runs with Matthew Wade and Mitchell Starc at the crease.

The visitors lead the four-match series 1-0 after beating India in the first Test in Pune inside three days.

(With inputs from AFP)