India well on top in first Test despite Australia spinner Todd Murphy taking five-wicket haul on debut
India lead Australia by 144 at stumps on day two of first Test in Nagpur; Rohit Sharma's ninth Test hundred and unbeaten fifties from Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel take hosts to 321-7; Australia spinner Todd Murphy takes five-wicket haul on debut
Friday 10 February 2023 12:04, UK
Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel gave India a 144-run lead over Australia in the first Test at Nagpur amid visiting off-spinner Todd Murphy taking a five-wicket haul on debut.
India, having bowled Australia out for 177 on day one, found themselves 168-5 on day two with Murphy (5-82) adding Virat Kohli (12), Cheteshwar Pujara (7) and Ravichandran Ashwin (23) to his first-evening dismissal of KL Rahul (20).
Nathan Lyon bowled Suryakumar Yadav (8) to leave India five down, only for home captain Rohit (120) to turn his unbeaten half-century from overnight into his ninth Test ton and first as captain.
Rohit, Jadeja (66no) and Axar (52no) propelled India to 321-7 by stumps, with Jadeja dropped at slip by Steve Smith from the penultimate ball of the final session - one of three spilled catches on the day.
Rohit and Jadeja shared a 61-run stand for the sixth wicket before Jadeja and Axar added an unbroken 81 for the eighth from 240-7, hitting their 18th and second Test fifties respectively.
Rohit was bowled by Pat Cummins early in the final session with the second new ball, while Murphy clinched his five-wicket haul when he had debutant wicketkeeper KS Bharat (8) pinned leg before following a successful review.
Jadeja - playing for India for the first time since August after an injury lay off - was Australia's scourge on the opening day as he bagged a five-wicket haul (5-47) and he frustrated the tourists with the bat on Friday.
Murphy pinned nightwatchman Ashwin lbw to trigger an India wobble of 4-50 from 118-1, with Kohli then caught down the leg-side and Pujara out on the sweep before Lyon castled Suryakumar.
Australia have not won a Test series in India since 2004 and their opponents have not lost a series at home since 2012, when Sir Alastair Cook captained England to a 2-1 success.
Australia's first Test with India in Nagpur is followed by further games in Delhi (from February 17), Dharamshala (from March 1) and Ahmedabad (from March 9).
The Baggy Greens face England in The Ashes throughout June and July, with the first Test of that series to start at Edgbaston on Friday June 16.
