Head, Smith tons deflate India as Australia reach 405 for 7 on Day 2
Brisbane (PTI): Travis Head continued to bully India by smashing a second successive hundred while Steve Smith clawed his way back to form with his 33rd century as Australia reached an imposing 405 for 7 at the end of second day of the third Test here Sunday.
Head, who cracked 140 in the previous Test, hit a brilliant 152 off just 160 balls and added 241 runs for the fourth wicket with Smith (101 off 190 balls), who scored one of his more laboured hundreds in the traditional format.
For India, Jasprit Bumrah (5/72) stood out from the pack with his 12th five-wicket haul while Akash Deep (0/78) despite bowling well was distinctly unlucky.
Mohammed Siraj (1/97) developed some discomfort in one of his legs and didn't look fully fit. Ravindra Jadeja (0/76) was an absolute disappointment with no help on offer from the track.
Brief Scores:
Australia 1st Innings: 405 for 7 in 101 overs. (Travis Head 152, Steve Smith 101, Jasprit Bumrah 5/72).
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After Gambhir's one-on-one chat session, Morkel says Abhishek "one good hit away" from finding form
Ahmedabad (PTI): All that Abhishek Sharma needs is a start, but there hasn't been any discussion about the talented opener's wretched run in the T20 World Cup so far, bowling coach Morne Morkel said ahead of India's first Super Eights game against South Africa here on Sunday.
Abhishek is yet to open his account in the current edition of the tournament and during Friday's training, he was seen spending considerable time with head coach Gautam Gambhir.
Gambhir was seen trying to explain to him certain finer points and like a diligent student, the flamboyant southpaw nodded in agreement.
After that he went for a high catch session.
At times, excess training can prove to be counter productive and Abhishek was seen bowling to the other batters for better part of the game.
When asked if there's discussion in general within the team on Abhishek, Morkel denied emphatically.
"Absolutely no discussion. He's a world class player. So far in the tournament, luckily, there's been some guys standing up for Abhishek (others scoring runs)," Morkel told the media.
However, he agreed that Abhishek needs to score runs as they enter the business end of the tourney.
"But we're going through a very important phase of the World Cup now and we expect him to do well.
"And I'm pretty sure, not just for the team, but also for all the viewers watching the game. Because he's (Abhishek) entertaining, and we love to see that.
"So yeah, I'm pretty sure he's hitting the ball well. It's just a matter of getting that start and Abhishek will get going," Morkel said.
