While the Indian bowlers dominated the show on the second day of the pink-ball Test at the Adelaide Oval, Australia skipper Tim Paine grinded it out as he hit an unbeaten 73 runs to bring the hosts closer to India's first innings total. And the captain said he is delighted to have contributed in a crunch situation.
Indian bowlers put the visitors in the driving seat on the second day as Australia were all out on 191, handing India a crucial 53-run lead going into the second innings.
"I am happy to contribute and get us up close to the Indian score in a game that is important to us," Paine said in the post-match press conference.
If Ravichandran Ashwin spun a web with figures of 4/55, Umesh Yadav showed why he is the unsung hero of the Indian bowling attack as he finished with 3/40.
Paine was the highest run-getter from his side, followed by Marnus Labuschagne, who played a knock of 47. In the first innings, India was restricted to a total of 244 by the Australian bowling attack.
When asked about the reason why both teams struggled to score runs at a high pace, Paine said it was because of the quality of fast bowling ability that both the teams have before adding that adapting to the pink ball takes a bit of time.
"Definitely the quality of the fast bowling. Pink ball, that is probably another factor. It is hard in this game where there are five or six very high-quality fast bowlers, who do not miss much. It also takes a bit of time to adapt to the pink ball, and it is not as easy to pick up. I know it looks great on the telly (TV) but it is harder for the players," he said.
India were 9/1 in the second essay when the umpires ended play on the second night. The 62-run lead with nine wickets in the bag could prove to be crucial as the wicket isn't getting any better for batting. Mayank Agarwal (5) and nightwatchman Jasprit Bumrah (0) will look to start afresh after battling it out against Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc in the dying stages of the second day.
( With inputs from ANI )
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