Paine, Khawaja extend Australia's lead to 233
Perth, Dec 17 : Captain Tim Paine and Usman Khawaja frustrated India with an unbeaten 70-run stand, helping Australia extend their lead to 233 after a wicket-less morning session on day four of the second Test here on Monday.
Australia reached 190-4 in their second innings at lunch on day four.
At the break, Paine was batting on 37 not out while Khawaja was unbeaten on 67 runs after a session in which Australia scored 58 runs in 30 overs.
Starting from overnight 132-4, the two batsmen negotiated the first hour in a sedate manner. They didn't look in any rush as only 19 runs came forth.
India started with their strike bowlers Jasprit Bumrah (1-36) and Mohammed Shami (2-30), but barring a close call for run-out if it had been a direct hit, the visitors never came close to taking a wicket.
Bumrah was pick of the bowlers once again, getting the ball to rear up from length and beating the batsmen on many occasions, in particular Khawaja. But the outside edge continued to elude him.
The duo stepped up on the scoring rate a bit more in the second hour of play, and added another 39 runs to the total. In doing so, Khawaja reached his 14th Test half-century off 156 balls, whilst taking the overall lead past the 200-run mark.
Indian skipper Virat Kohli and Paine were once again involved in a verbal exchange, with umpire Chris Gaffaney stepping in to ask the duo to get on with the game.
Kohli rotated his bowlers well, with Ishant Sharma (1-39), Umesh Yadav (0-51) and Hanuma Vihari (0-31) giving the requisite control. Australia's scoring rate came down to 1.93 per over for the session, and 2.44 per over for the entire innings as the pitch continued to pose riddles.
Earlier, the Australian team management had confirmed that opener Aaron Finch is fit enough to bat again in this second innings. He had retired hurt in the final session on day three, on 25 not out, after being hit by Shami in the 13th over.
Australia had scored 326 runs in their first innings, and India replied with 283 runs, thanks to Kohli's 25th Test hundred, thus conceding a lead of 43 runs.
India lead the four-match series 1-0 after winning the first Test in Adelaide by 31 runs.
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India harbouring big and bold dreams in space sector: Shubhanshu Shukla
Kolkata (PTI): Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian astronaut to go to the International Space Station, on Wednesday said the country is harbouring “big and bold dreams”, foraying into human spaceflight after a hiatus of 41 years.
Shukla was the first Indian to visit the International Space Station as part of the Axiom-4 mission. He returned to India from the US on August 17, 2025, after the 18-day mission.
The space is a “great place to be”, marked by deep peace and an “amazing view” that becomes more captivating with time, he said, interacting with schoolchildren at an event organised by the Indian Centre for Space Physics here.
“The longer you stay, the more you enjoy it,” Shukla said, adding on a lighter note that he “actually kind of did not want to come back”.
Shukla said the hands-on experience in space was very different from what he had learnt during training.
He said the future of India’s space science was “very bright”, with the country harbouring “very big and bold dreams”.
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Shukla described his ISS flight, undertaken with support from the US, as a crucial “stepping stone” towards realising India’s ‘Vision Gaganyaan’.
“The experience gained is a national asset. It is already being used by internal committees and design teams to ensure ongoing missions are on the right track,” he said.
Shukla said the country’s space ambitions include the Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme, the Bharatiya Station (India’s own space station), and eventually a human landing on the Moon.
While the Moon mission is targeted for 2040, he said these projects are already in the pipeline, and the field will evolve at a “very rapid pace” over the next 10-20 years.
He told the students that though these targets are challenging, they are “achievable by people like you”, urging them to take ownership of India’s aspirations.
The sector will generate “a lot of employment opportunities” as India expands its human spaceflight capabilities, he noted.
Echoing the iconic words of India’s first astronaut Rakesh Sharma, Shukla said that from orbit, “India is still the best in the world”.
Shukla also asserted that the achievement was not his alone, but that of the entire country.
“The youth of India are extremely talented. They must stay focused, remain curious and work hard. It is their responsibility to help build a developed India by 2047,” he said.
Highlighting a shift from Sharma’s era, Shukla said India is now developing a full-fledged astronaut ecosystem.
With Gaganyaan and future missions, children in India will be able to not only dream of becoming astronauts, but also achieving it within the country, he said.
“Space missions help a village kid believe he can go to space someday. When you send one person to space, you lift million hopes. That is why such programmes must continue... The sky is not the limit,” Shukla said.
“Scientists must prepare for systems that will last 20-30 years, while ensuring they can integrate technologies that will emerge a decade from now,” he said.
Shukla added that he looked forward to more space missions, and was keen to undertake a space walk, which will require him to "train for another two years".
