Australia vs India 2018: 2nd Test Match, Perth, Day 4 - Lunch Report

The opening session of the penultimate day of the ongoing Perth Test match was a gritty one. Australia’s captain Tim Paine and Usman Khawaja refused to throw in the towel as both the batters batted with gumption. Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami started the proceedings and continued with their penchant of flirting with the outside edge of the Australian batsmen.

However, Khawaja oozed great determination as he kept leaving the ball that was on the fifth stump line. The southpaw batsman also picked up singles by tapping the ball on the off-side. The left-hander who is Australia’s best batsman scored his 17th fifty as he kept scoring his runs at a sloth speed.

Similarly, Tim Paine played the late cut with great efficiency. The right-hander was successful in running down the ball towards the third man boundary and got most of his runs in that region.

On the other hand, the tourist’s bowlers bowled without the rub of the green on their side. They went past the edge on numerous occasions. Thus, the Indian bowlers kept searching for their morning breakthrough but could only manage a whiff of a dismissal.

Meanwhile, the best chance that India had in the morning session was when Usman Khawaja and Tim Paine misjudged a single. Jasprit Bumrah could not hit the bullseye after losing the balance while attempting to hit the stumps.

Consequently, Australia has got themselves into a good position as they currently lead by 233 runs. Furthermore, they have half-a-dozen wickets in their bag. The hosts are looking good to post a huge target on the board and it is not going to be easy for the Indian batters on a tricky Perth pitch. Australia added 58 runs without losing any wickets in the opening session

Brief Scores: Australia: 190-4, lead by 233 runs.