2nd Test Day 2: India go into lunch break with Australia under bit of pressure on Day 2,Australia 87/2 at Lunch

When it wasn’t Steve O’Keefe with the spin, it was Nathan Lyon. When it wasn’t the vicious turn square from the get go, it was the bounce. When it wasn’t batting second, it was batting first. Even as things changed from Pune to Bangalore and from first Test to second, one thing remained constant – India’s abysmal batting. In Pune it was 105 and 107, in Bangalore, so far, it has been 189. Of these 189 runs, nearly half came from one person – KL Rahul who went for 90 even as he lost partners at the other end. In reply, Australia were 40/0 at stumps and once again have India in a fix. The advantage – once again – is with Australia unless the Indian spin duo of R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have something to do about it when the second day’s play begins. Catch live cricket scores and live cricket updates from the match here.

Live Cricket Score and updates: India vs Australia, 2nd Test Day 2:

11:45 am: Suddenly 189 doesn’t seem like a small total or it looks competitive at least. There is extravagant turn when bowling from the pavillion end and ball staying low from the other end. The help from the surface seems to have upped India’s much-needed fire. 

11:30 am: LUNCH! At lunch, Australia are 87/2 with Renshaw on 40 and Marsh on 2. Warner and Smith are back in the hut with Ashwin and Jadeja picking the wickets. Just 47 runs in that session at the expense of two wickets but it has been interesting cricket and more than that, it has been a battle.

11:21 am: Shaun Marsh is the new batsman and he joins Renshaw who has looked in good knick so far today

11:15 am: GONE! Ravindra Jadeja strikes and Steve Smith goes for 8 from 52 balls. Smith gets an inside edge on the ball that stays straight as it pitches and hits the pads to pop up. Saha moves to his left and takes the catch on the dive. The ball pitches on middle and leg and Smith plays a defensive shot with the ball sliding on and finding the inside edge. Good take by Saha too

11:11 am: Australia much better now. Playing the ball better and reading the ones that stay low much better too.

10:56 am: Another outside edge from Renshaw to Umesh and it doesn’t carry to Virat Kohli in the slips. Touch, centimetres mostly, short and it clips his fingers and goes away for a four. Exasperation all around.

10:50 am: Eventful Umesh Yadav over that has two boundaries, an edge that dies on the slips and a play and a miss. Ball staying low on plenty instances and Renshaw somehow getting his bat to each of them

10:41 am: Plenty of banter going on in Bangalore now. Steve Smith and Virat Kohli exchanging plenty of words and smiles. Got to love this competitive edge back in the sport which becomes monotonous at times

10:33 am: DRINKS! Just 21 runs in the first hour of play with David Warner gone back into the pavillion. But it has not been dull. It has been supremely exciting with expectations of it to continue

10:29 am: Ashwin comes over the wicket to Smith. The Australia captain tries to sweep but misses it completely. Saha suggests India review and Kohli agrees. No overstepping from Ashwin and there is no inside edge on to the pad. The ball was pitching outside off and the impact was in-line. Hits the wicket barely so it is umpire’s decision and stays not out.

10:23 am: Scoreboard barely moving but this is enthralling stuff all round. Everyone fully invested in this – including the fans. You can’t look away even for a few moments

10:16 am: Ishant Sharma comes around the wicket to Renshaw and loses his balance. Thumps the ball short and it is defended but the bowler takes a tumble in his follow-through. Smiles as he gets up and checks his elbow. Lots of chats, chuckles and smiles from those in and around Smith on strike. Nervous laughter perhaps?

10:14 am: Ashwin causing plenty of doubts now in the minds of the Australian batsmen – Renshaw pads a delivery well outside the leg stump but it spins massively to miss both his pads and the off stump. Crikey!

10:04 am: Ishant to new batsman Steve Smith and there is a loud appeal for leg before. Moves off the surface and Smith is beaten by it and the pace. Umpire says no to the loud call and, maybe, rightly so. Good decision not to review as the ball was going over

9:53 am: GONE! India have their first as David Warner is bowled by R Ashwin. Ball pitches on outside the leg stump and Warner, like a few balls back, is caught in two minds. It turns plenty and takes the off stump with it. Crowd once again is in full voice and how they needed that. Kohli’s reaction to that was one to behold too

9:52 am: Ishant gets one to jab back in but Renshaw looked comfortable enough to let that go from the outside of off stump.

9:45 am: Ashwin returns and bowls yet another maiden. Renshaw with a reasonably good job to defend that

9:42 am: Ishant again. Short and wide from the Delhi seamer and Warner punches it away towards deep point for a four. Error by Ishant to give that much free space to unfreeze arms. Terrific comeback by Ishant to bang in a beautiful short ball that Warner ducks just in time to allow it to be taken by Saha. Helped further by Ishant’s height

9:37 am: R Ashwin to bowl the second over of the day. And he gets lots of turn early on. Has Warner playing square with the ball moving away. Gets the back pad, there’s a loud appeal but it is turned down.

9:33 am: Ishant comes around the wicket and leg glance by Warner to start Day 2 with a boundary from the very first ball. Not a good start that. Warner standing really forward to Ishant – maybe to negate the impact of the cracks that are developing. The word is that anything over 100 in lead is a big plus. Five runs from the opening over

9:30 am: Players are out on the field of play and we are moving towards start on Day 2. Ishant Sharma to get things underway. Warner is on 23, and will take strike, while Renshaw is on 15.

9:13 am: The forecast for today is sunny with some clouds here and there. But for the remaining three days, rain with thunderstorm is in the offing. However, it doesn’t normally rain at this time of the year in Bangalore. So if the weather does cool down, expect the ball to swing more.

9:00 am: Day 1 wasn’t how India would have imagined coming back into the series. Once again the batting failed and it went down rather tamely. Once again a spinner was their nemesis – Nathan Lyon. India have been outdone by their own craft and skill – something that would bother them even more.

Live Cricket Score and updates: India vs Australia, Day 2 pitch report:

The word before play began on Day 1 was that there was going to be early moisture and then it was going to be a batsmen’s paradise. That may well have been the case but only one batsman thrived while Nathan Lyon got much bounce from the surface with cracks developing. The status for Day 2 remains the same as Day 1, batsmen to thrive unless Indian bowlers get things back in order.

Live Cricket Score and updates: India vs Australia, Day 1 recap

India were bowled out for 189 with KL Rahul scoring 90 and only one other Indian batsman breaching 20-run mark (Karun Nair). Nathan Lyon was the master on Day 1 picking up eight wickets for the best figures by a visiting bowler in India. In reply, Australia openers David Warner and Matt Renshaw had no problems to take the side to 40/0 and stand just 149 runs from matching India’s score.

Live Cricket Score and updates: India vs Australia, Day 1 reactions

KL Rahul: “We know Ash (Ashwin) is a top class bowler and once he gets a couple of wickets and gets into that rhythm, then he is going to run through the Australian batting line-up, which we are very confident of. Jadeja didn’t get to bowl a lot today but like Lyon, he too has a lot of rough to bowl on to the left-handers outside the off-side stump. If he can come in and bowl consistently on the rough, we will get a lot of wicket.” 

Nathan Lyon: “I don’t know if they’re going to spin or go straight. So if I don’t know, neither does the batter really. The cracks are opening up and it’s only getting harder to bat on this wicket.”