Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara may have done all the hard work to bail India out from a precarious situation but it was Ajinkya Rahane’s initial onslaught that put Australians on the back foot, feels Indian fast bowler Ishant Sharma.
Ajinkya Rahane came out with a positive intent after Cheteshwar Pujara’s fighting 24 off 103 balls. Rahane raced to 23 off 22 balls, taking Mitchell Starc on after the left-arm quick had just removed Pujara. Rahane’s attacking intent and precision of the pull shot, forced Australian captain Tim Paine to take Starc out of the attack, allowing Kohli and Rahane to breathe easy.
"Rahane added quickfire 20-30 runs and they were really needed at that time. If they had played defence then Australia would have stayed on their plans and it was important for him to counterattack to force them to change plans," Ishant said.
Both Rahane and Kohli remained unbeaten at stumps, leading a solid Indian reply despite losing the openers for only 8 on board. Kohli was unbeaten on 82 and Rahane had made his way to 51 as India reached 172 for 3, still 153 runs behind Australia’s first innings total.
Ishant felt the match is hanging in balance and the morning session of Day 3 will determine who sits on the driver’s seat. "We finished the day in a strong position. Hopefully, they will both continue. The game is in the balance right now. Hopefully, we will dominate the first session tomorrow," Ishant added.
Earlier, Kohli added 74 runs for the third wicket with Cheteshwar Pujara after the Indian openers had been dismissed cheaply.
"When Pujara defends, the ball doesn't go past the square. I have played against him and I know how difficult it is to bowl at him. He makes the bowlers tired. I knew if he stays he can do wonders. It was unfortunate the way he got out. We don't get those wickets that easily, going down leg and caught behind.
"Then, Jinx and Virat played pretty good shots which shifted momentum in our side and we ended the day pretty well," he said.
Coming to his own bowling performance, Ishant said as a senior member of the team, he always wants to put his hand up whenever there is a big partnership building up. "Whenever there is a tough situation I like to bowl and take wickets. I have seen senior bowlers put up their hand in tough situations in the past and at that time I didn't know much about it. But now in tough situations, I want to do the same," he said.
Sharma recovered from a poor spell, especially in the morning session on day one, to finish with 4-41 as Australia only added 49 to their overnight score of 277-6.
Ishant also took a jibe at the Australian media when discussions turned to front-foot no balls. Ishant was guilty of bowling a few no balls in the first Test which escaped the on-field umpires' attention. While his propensity to overstep denied India wickets on two occasions, the poor policing of front-foot slip-ups attracted the ire of the host nation.
"Maybe Australian media should answer the question. Not me. I have been playing cricket for so long. And these things happen. Because you are a human, you are bound to make a mistake. I was not worried about it at all," Ishant said.