Australia ended day 2 on 405/7 with Head and Smith scoring centuries.
The Indian team had a poor day in the field on day 2 of the ongoing third BGT 2024 Test in Brisbane, as Australia piled up 405/7 at stumps. Only 13.2 overs were bowled on day 1 due to consistent rain as Australia was asked to bat first by India captain Rohit Sharma, who won the toss.
Travis Head (152) and Steve Smith (101) added 241 runs for the fourth wicket for Australia after Jasprit Bumrah had rattled the top-order with wickets of Usman Khawaja and Nathan McSweeney, while Nitish Reddy got rid of Marnus Labuschagne.
But then Head and Smith took over and frustrated the Indian bowlers and fielders with a sublime batting display. This was evident when Ravindra Jadeja, angered by a strong throw by Mohammed Siraj, gave him, an earful.
The incident happened during one of Jadeja's overs in the post-lunch sessions, Head fended off a delivery to the offside and went for a fast single. Siraj dashed over, grabbed the ball, and hurled it recklessly toward the non-striker's end, hoping to outrun Head.
However, the ball went over the batter, forcing Jadeja to jump to catch it, injuring his fingers. The all-rounder was not pleased with Siraj's unnecessary violence on the field, as he flung a mouthful while shaking his hand in pain.
Although Jadeja survived an injury scare, former English cricketer Mark Nicholas, speaking on air, reckoned Siraj's “enthusiasm” almost resulted in a civil war.
“There is a bit of civil war on the field as Siraj's enthusiasm gets the better of him. He flung the ball so hard that it could have gone for four byes, but Jadeja gave him a right look. He must have said, ‘You almost broke my finger, pal. Take it easy,” he said.
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Meanwhile, Alex Carey remained unbeaten on 45 and Pat Cummins was dismissed for 20 as Australia ended day 2 strongly.