Khawaja shows guts as Australia reach 28 for no loss at lunch

Usman Khawaja (Pic: AFP)

The Australian openers, especially local hero Usman Khawaja, displayed a lot of grit as they confidently negotiated Jasprit Bumrah's opening spell to reach 28 without loss against India during the rain-affected first session of the third Test here on Saturday.

Only 13.2 overs of play were possible during the first session, as the weather forecast predicts more interruptions throughout the game.

Bumrah (0/8 in 6 overs) bowled his least potent opening spell of the series so far.

Despite overcast conditions and enough bounce on offer, he didn't bowl too many wicket-taking deliveries in that six-over first spell while Mohammed Siraj (0/13 in 4 overs) was guilty of occasionally pitching it short.

In case of Bumrah, he rightly pitched it up but there was very little hint of swing on offer and only on few occasions was he able to square up Khawaja (19 batting, 47 balls) while coming round the wicket. The lines weren't exactly exciting and were drifting towards the leg-side more often.

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With not many probing questions asked, the first 25 minutes before the steady drizzle stopped proceedings for some time saw Australia reach 19 for no loss. While Nathan McSweeney (4 batting, 33 balls) defended dourly, Khawaja did pull Siraj for a boundary before the break and added one more after play resumed.

Siraj was removed after a three-over first spell and it was Akash Deep (0/2 in 3.2 overs), who looked good first up, keeping the ball on the off-stump channel with his stock delivery that would dart in to put batters in uncomfortable positions.

But where Australia won the session was how Khawaja dealt with Bumrah. He defended well by dropping his bottom hand and trying to play as late as possible. The balls that went past Khawaja's outside edge weren't about being beaten; rather, he kept the bat close to his body, allowing the ball to deviate past the willow. He only played deliveries that were bowled into his body

He knew that if they can manage Bumrah's first spell which is generally between six to eight overs, they can dominate other bowlers.

The second rain break came due to a sharper spell of showers, just as Akash and, especially, Siraj in his second spell began pitching the ball further up and started using angles well.

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