India vs Australia 2017, 2nd Test, Day 2: The Challenge Was To Bat All Day, It Was A Hard Grind, Says Matt Renshaw
Mar 5, 2017 at 5:29 PM
Australia displayed some uncompromising batting display to safely overcome the Indian bowling attack at stumps on Day 2 of the second Test at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. Although, India gave away just 197 runs and snapped six important wickets, the visitors ensured that they kept their control over the proceedings intact throughout the day’s play.
Matt Renshaw and Shaun Marsh were the two batsmen around whom the batting revolved for the Aussies on Sunday. The resilience showed by these two men made sure the visitors had a lead on the board. The entire day’s action can in fact be divided between the two as the former took care of the first half of the day while the latter ensured stability in the second half.
With pitch looking very tough to gather runs, the batting side would really be happy to end 48 runs ahead of India’s first innings total.
The day began on bit sour note as Australia lost opener David Warner early on. Skipper Steven Smith hung around but did not fare well, scoring just eight runs after a long show of defensive batting spanning 52 balls. While the senior duo failed, Matt Renshaw got a feel of the pitch and garnered great appreciation for his knock despite getting out in the second session, paving way for Marsh to take over.
Speaking at the post-match interview, Renshaw assessed the day’s play.
“It was a really good day for us,” says Matt Renshaw.
“The challenge was to bat all day, and we did that. India’s fast bowlers bowled well and didn’t give us much. It was a hard grind. We did a lot of work coming into the series, and it has paid off. Hopefully, we can have two more good days and retain the trophy. We would like to chase as little as possible in the fourth innings.”