Only one hour into the second Test match between India and Australia in Delhi and one can already observe Australian opening batters David Warner and Usman Khawaja batting with more confidence and determination unlike an eight-session first Test in Nagpur last week.
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Not that Warner and Khawaja haven’t been challenged by the Indian bowlers today, they have appeared to be more prepared to put in the hard yards. Khawaja, the more fluent of the two in a 50-run opening partnership, has also been backed by luck twice but that would be easily forgotten if he is able to convert this start into a substantial innings.
Warner (15), on the contrary, was dismissed by India pacer Mohammed Shami just as this piece was being written. Bowling from round the wicket, Shami managed to let the ball straighten enough after pitching only for the left-handed batter to edge it to India wicket-keeper Srikar Bharat to continue a rut in Test matches in India.
Why is Mitchell Starc not playing today vs India?
For the unversed, Australia captain Pat Cummins won the toss and chose to bat for the second consecutive time in the series. Although Cummins announced a couple of changes at the toss, none of it involved a spot for all-rounder Cameron Green or fast bowler Mitchell Starc.
Green and Starc, who would’ve been included into the Playing XI had they been fit, are yet to recover from their respective finger injuries. Readers must note that both Green and Starc were in a race against time to attain match fitness for this match but have failed to do so.
“Yeah, there’s still a fair bit of restriction there. It’s progressing each day. I probably had different expectations. Push it again today and see where we get to by the end of [the day]. We’ll see how it goes when it wakes up tomorrow,” Starc had said in a video posted by cricket.com.au on Thursday.
In-form batter Travis Head, who was shockingly dropped in the last match, has been included into the Playing XI as a like-for-like replacement for Matthew Renshaw. The second change has come in the form of fast bowler Scott Boland making way for debutant spinner Matthew Kuhnemann. The development means that the visitors will have to operate with a lone fast bowler at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
