Rishabh Pant’s unenthusiastic appeal miffs Ravichandran Ashwin and Rohit Sharma as IND toil hard for wickets on Day 2

Ace India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and skipper Rohit Sharma got miffed with wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant for his low enthusiasm while appealing for a wicket during Day 2 of the pink-ball Test match. It was the fourth ball of the 64th over, and Ashwin spun his web to dismiss Australian all-rounder Mitchell Marsh caught behind. However, the Indian spinner was not impressed with Pant’s appeal. The Indian wicketkeeper did make an appeal from behind the stumps, but after a shout, his enthusiasm dropped.

Skipper Rohit also had a word with Pant during the celebration as he was also stunned as the Indian wicketkeeper is known for his chirpy acts and loud appeals behind the stumps. However, all went well for India as Marsh was given out by the umpire as returned to the pavilion after scoring just 9.

Travis Head punishes Indian bowlers on Day 2

Meanwhile, Travis Head slammed a counter-attacking century to help Australia claim a 100-run plus lead in the first innings. The left-handed batter completed his century off 111 balls as he didn’t shy away from taking on the Indian batters and hit boundaries all around the park. He shared a 65-run stand for the fourth wicket with Marnus Labuschagne (64). Nitish Kumar Reddy broke the crucial stand and pulled India back in the game. It was the third ball of the 55th over, and Labuschagne went ahead with the cut but failed to keep it down as Yashasvi Jaiswal grabbed a stunning catch and gully to end his stay in the middle.

Starting from an overnight 86-1 on Saturday, Australia faced marked improvement from the Indian pacers. While Jasprit Bumrah was accurate as usual, Mohammed Siraj improved his length from the first day and consistently attacked the batters.

It resulted in two wickets within the first 40 minutes of play — opener Nathan McSweeney was caught behind for 39 runs. McSweeney and Labuschagne had added 67 runs for the second wicket before Bumrah got the breakthrough.

He added a second wicket in the morning as Steve Smith edged down the leg side and was caught behind for two runs.