Ravi Shastri mocks Kartik on live television for Sehwag remark?
Australia, which chose to bat first and amassed an enormous 480/10 in the first innings of the fourth and final Test in Ahmedabad, has so far been in complete control. Usman Khawaja provided the game’s first example of methodical batting, putting up a brilliant 180 (422) before being caught LBW by Axar Patel. Together with him, Cameron Green, a superb all-arounder for Australia, also earned his first Test century, scoring 114 from 170 balls.
In response, India’s opening pair of Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill made sure the hosts didn’t lose a single wicket on Day 2, enabling them to reach 36/0 at stumps while still being 444 runs behind. In the penultimate over of the day, Gill launched a massive six against Nathan Lyon as both players played their shots with ease.
The commentary team member and former India spinner Murali Karthik made an interesting statement about India’s situation, which includes destructive former India opener Virender Sehwag, as they continued to add runs to the score. Ravi Shastri, a fellow commentator, gave him an unexpected response since he was taken aback by Karthik’s assertion.
The following is the transcript of their conversation:
Murali Karthik: “Imagine a Sehwag in this situation. Even if two overs are left he would have run down the track and gone after the bowler.”
Ravi Shastri: “Really?”
Ravi Shastri: “No I don’t think so, I think no one would have got any prizes for guessing.”
Returning to the contest, Gill and Rohit would try to maintain the momentum on Day 3. In addition to the two, other Indian batsmen who struggled to get going in the Border-Gavaskar series may have success on this pitch.
The Indian top-order has been fairly average thus far in the series, with captain Rohit only managing to score a tonne for his country. In contrast, Virat Kohli has played hard, but through five innings, he has only scored 111 runs at an average of 22.20.
Gill, who was chosen to replace the ineffective KL Rahul, would also like to accumulate some significant runs to support his inclusion in the starting Eleven.
As play begins on Saturday, Australia, on the other hand, hopes for some early blows. Green serves as the second seamer for Australia, which only played one pacer in the form of Mitchell Starc. “I just tried to pick up how the Indian bowlers went about it. You have to swallow your ego on this wicket. I will may be do the holding role tomorrow (Day 3) and let the spinners do their bit,” said Green to the official broadcasters after stumps on Day 2.
The onus will definitely fall on Australia’s spin trio, which consists of Nathan Lyon, Matthew Kuhnemann, and Todd Murphy, as highlighted by Green. With 11 wickets in both innings in Indore, Lyon was one of Australia’s match-winners. As the game moves forward in Ahmedabad, Lyon will look for a repeat performance.
The captaincy of Steve Smith, who led Australia to a stunning victory in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after the visitors lost badly in the first two Tests under Pat Cummin’s leadership, will face another challenge. As a result of Smith’s outstanding nine-wicket victory in Indore, Australia now has a decent chance to end the series on an even note.
