Australia v India: first men’s Test, day two – live | Australia cricket team

Stumps: India 172-0 (Lead Australia by 218 runs)

56th over: India 171-0 (Jaiswal 89, Rahul 62) Lyon twiddles a maiden, one over left in the day.

55th over: India 171-0 (Jaiswal 89, Rahul 62) Jaiswal nudges nearer to three figures but loses his shape attempting a Hollywood drive to Pat Cummins. Lucky not to get a tickle.

It’s the little things eh Eamonn Maloney?

“I for one appreciate the effort to cite the Australian version of that biscuit when you have one of your own. But we haven’t had a crumb here today…”

54th over: India 169-0 (Jaiswal 88, Rahul 59) Three singles off Lyon, not long left now in Perth, we’re into the dregs of the day. But good dregs. Like a TimTam dropped in the bottom of your brew. It’s been such an enjoyable day of Test cricket. Both sides have dug in and given it their all. Rahul and Jaiswal have been monumental, can the latter get to a well deserved ton before the close?

53rd over: India 166-0 (Jaiswal 88, Rahul 59) Cummins slides a full ball down the leg side to leave Carey no chance behind the stumps, four more runs to India to go with a single each to Jaiswal and Rahul. India’s lead is up to 215.

52nd over: India 160-0 (Jaiswal 87, Rahul 58) Up, Up and Away! Jaiswal shimmies down to a length delivery from Lyon and swats it away over long on for SIX. Into the stands, the tv coverage clocking it at over 100 metres and I’m not totally convinced he middled it.

That’s Jaiswal’s 34th six this calendar year, he now holds the record on his own after sitting level with some bloke called Brendon McCullum.

51st over: India 151-0 (Jaiswal 79, Rahul 57) It’s not your day, Patty. Cummins finds the edge of Jaiswal’s blade but the nick flies between slip and gully and away for four!

50th over: India 145-0 (Jaiswal 74, Rahul 56) Pat Cummins turns to the ursine Travis Head and his loopy leg spin. India don’t take the bait, instead opting to work the newbie around to collect 8 easy runs off the over. David Warner has just said on commentary that this is one of those days that Australia just need to “write off”. That’s all you need to know about how dominant India have been this afternoon.

49th over: India 137-0 (Jaiswal 72, Rahul 50) Cummins replaces Starc, who has presumably gone for a lie down in a darkened room. A wild bouncer is thudded into the pitch and it flies away over Alex Carey for four. Make that five wides.

48th over: India 131-0 (Jaiswal 71, Rahul 50) Five runs worked off Marsh’s latest. This is painful for Australia, make no mistake. Shadows creeping across the outfield. Rahul gets the single he needs to make fifty, the crowd give him a decent ovation too.

47th over: India 126-0 (Jaiswal 67, Rahul 49) Starc slams one down and Jaiswal flicks it away off his legs for SIX! What a shot from the youngster. Starc glowers, looking every inch the bulldog licking you know what off some nettles. Starc responds with a fully fledged jaffa that seams away after pitching, leaving Jaiswal groping and grasping. The batter wisely gets off the mark next ball. Shot! KL Rahul goes to the cusp of a half century with a cover drived pinged through the cover. Starc is tiiiiiicking.

Me old mucka Jon Hotten sends a message, *something about James Vince. Again. Nurse!

Just kidding Jonboy. He’s referring to this of course. Have a gander why dontcha.

46th over: India 115-0 (Jaiswal 60, Rahul 45) Marsh nearly scuttles one through Rahul, I’ll have you know that ball kept low! KL did well to jam his bat down in time.

45th over: India 114-0 (Jaiswal 59, Rahul 45) Starc serves up a half volley that KL Rahul pounces on, driving down the ground for three runs. Jaiswal nudges a quick single into the leg side to add to the tall left armer’s chagrin. Juggernaut frown indeed.

44th over: India 110-0 (Jaiswal 58, Rahul 42) Mitch Marsh into the attack. Hello Gruesome! Jaiswal greets him with a superb late cut for four.

43rd over: India 106-0 (Jaiswal 54, Rahul 42) The players take their final drinks break of the day after Starc’s latest over costs just a single worked off the hip by Jaiswal. Hard yakka for the Aussies.

“Interesting to read that we sent the bindii weed to Australia.” Types Jonah Sack from South Africa. “Over here they’re called duiweltjies or duibeltjies (“day-bill-key”) — meaning “little devils”. They absolutely will go straight through a flip-flop and into your foot.”

Spoken like a man who knows Jonah.

42nd over: India 105-0 (Jaiswal 53, Rahul 42) Some shonky calling sees KL Rahul nearly run out at the non-strikers end looking for a single that Jaiswal had no interest in. That would have taken the edge off the dropped catch last over. A much more existent single is collected off the final ball with a drive down to long on.

41st over: India 104-0 (Jaiswal 52, Rahul 42) DROP! Australia did not, repeat NOT, need that. Mitch Starc replaces Josh Hazelwood and entices Jaiswal into a booming drive on the walk. The edge goes low to Usman Khawaja at first slip, it just about carries on the full but Khawaja spills it down by his toes. Tough chance but eminently catchable and has to go down as a drop.

40th over: India 102-0 (Jaiswal 51, Rahul 41) A maiden from Lyon but a leg bye scampered.

“Hi James, lovely to see Tommy Hafey on OBO.”

And you too, Peter Salmon.

“Can’t not mention that he was a one of the gentlemen of Australian sport, but also legendary for his fitness. Aged 83 he was still starting each day by getting up at 5 am then running 10km, swimming 4km and then doing 500 push-ups, 300 sit-ups and 200 leg raises. Only ever wore t-shirts, whatever the weather, which can get bitterly cold in Melbourne winter. He was, in fact, as hard as a cat’s head.”

This is just a normal morning’s work surely? Chop chop Peter, you’ve still got your 200 leg raises to do.

39th over: India 101-0 (Jaiswal 51, Rahul 41) Hazelwood zips one past Jaiswal’s outside edge, the batter drawn in to fencing at the final ball of another maiden over.

“Morning James, how goes it?”

Bleary eyed but content, Guy Hornsby, thanks for asking.

“A cold and soporific morning in South Manchester, cricket on, cup of tea. I don’t mind winter, you know…

“Loved the Elbow reference earlier. Guy Garvey is a hugely underrated lyricist. A gruff, Mancunian bars, if you will, with a couplet for every situation. Great Expectations, from their 2005 album, Leaders Of The Free World, seems to feel like it’s talking cricket to me. There’s meaning in everything, if you look for it.

And if it rains all day

Call on you, I’ll call on you

Like I used to

Slide down beside and wrap you in stories”

Here, here. Skip to 3.25 mins on this for some more soporific morning loveliness.

38th over: India 101-0 (Jaiswal 51, Rahul 41) Jaiswal nudges a single and goes to a brilliant half century. He barely pays it any heed, mind. A sure sign that he’s got his sights set on bigger things. Rahul then works around the corner to bring up the hundred stand between the Indian opening pair. The lead is 147 runs. Gulp.

37th over: India 99-0 (Jaiswal 49, Rahul 40) Eeeesht! Hazlewood is this close from getting the breakthrough as he beats Jaiswal’s edge with a beauty that holds it’s line. Alan Holinghurst would have been proud of that one.

“I would have thought the business end of a cat o’ nine tails. Certainly hard enough to take” chimes Bob Mills. No further comments your honour.

“Gidday” writes Ross McGillivray on the subject of cat heads.

“This was a favoured expressing of the legendary Australian football coach Tom Hafey. He particularly liked tough players and this was one of his highest accolades, another for the brave players was “he’s got a heart as big as himself”

Lovely stuff, thanks Ross.

36th over: India 97-0 (Jaiswal 48, Rahul 40) Lyon lands it on a postage stamp for five balls before offering a slight bit of width that Jaiswal punches off the back foot through the cover for a single.

35th over: India 96-0 (Jaiswal 47, Rahul 40) Josh Hazlewood changes ends and completes his fourth maiden out of the eight overs he’s bowled.

Righto on to matters of feline skull density… or is it?

“Suspect it may be cat head rather than cat’s head” emails Craig Lawler.

“They are a notorious vicious type of bindi (*weeds to us Brits), also known as caltrop. They dry into an infernal device that sticks into feet to spread. They came from South Africa originally but now a feature in drier parts of Australia. They are very hard, their spikes will stick into hard wood and through thongs.” (*flip flops to us Brits)

34th over: India 96-0 (Jaiswal 47, Rahul 40) India’s openers tick towards the unbroken 100 stand. I think this is their biggest opening partnership on Aussie soil for twenty years. If that doesn’t do for them then I don’t know what will.

33rd over: India 93-0 (Jaiswal 46, Rahul 38) Cummins goes around the wicket to the right handed Rahul. Four dots and then a swivel pull for a single out to the deep. Jaiswal stands tall and drives down the ground for a couple.

32nd over: India 90-0 (Jaiswal 44, Rahul 37) Lyon wheels in with a slip and short leg in place. Rahul sits deep in his crease and glides away for a single. Cat’s head updates incoming.

31st over: India 89-0 (Jaiswal 44, Rahul 36) Jaiswal drives Cummins through mid off for a couple. India’s openers have been cautious since the tea break. Josh Hazlewood is being hoicked after just a couple of miserly overs. Nathan Lyon’s is coming on for a twirl.

30th over: India 87-0 (Jaiswal 42, Rahul 36) Hazlewood does his thing, a maiden cobwebbed together to a watchful KL Rahul.

29th over: India 87-0 (Jaiswal 42, Rahul 36) Cummins tests out the middle of the pitch with some short stuff. Rahul is up to the challenge, swatting away on the pull for a single. Jaiswal sways inside the line of another bouncer with apparent ease, that won’t please big Pat. Toil and trouble for Australia in Perth.

David Meiklejohn doesn’t mind it.

“Enjoying watching Jaiswal batting, especially his old fashioned and eminently sensible tactic of swaying out of the way of the short ball, rather than ducking.”

28th over: India 85-0 (Jaiswal 42, Rahul 35) Josh Hazlewood from t’other end, Rahul works off his pads for a single. It’s the only run off the over as Mr Metronome joins the dots and beats Jaiswal with one that nips away late off the final ball.

27th over: India 84-0 (Jaiswal 42, Rahul 34) The players start over after tea. Pat Cummins takes the orb and sends down a thrifty maiden to KL Rahul.