Nitish Kumar Reddy pulled off a much-needed breakthrough for the Indian cricket team by taking the crucial wicket of Marnus Labuschagne, courtesy of Yashasvi Jaiswal’s mind-blowing catch, but it was Virat Kohli’s gesture that stole the show at the Adelaide Oval.
In a thrilling moment at the Adelaide Oval, Nitish Kumar Reddy got rid of dangerous Marnus Labuschagne with a stunning delivery, thanks to a stunning catch by Yashasvi Jaiswal at gully. The delivery was short and wide outside off, and Marnus Labuschagne, who had been looking solid and playing confidently, went for the cut shot and made the big mistake.
Nitish Kumar Reddy strikes, as Yashasvi Jaiswal’s stunning catch dismisses Marnus Labuschagne
But the Australian batter couldn’t keep it down, and the ball flew towards Jaiswal at gully. With quick reflexes, Jaiswal dived to his right and made a brilliant two-handed catch to dismiss Marnus Labuschagne, who was seen visibly shocked, as he couldn’t believe what happened on the field.
With this crucial wicket, India managed to break the dangerous partnership of 65 runs off 86 balls between Labuschagne and Travis Head. Marnus Labuschagne, visibly disappointed, had to walk off, ending his stunning innings of 64 off 126 balls, including 9 fours, against India in the ongoing Adelaide Test.
After the wicket, Virat Kohli was seen in his absolute fire avatar, as the Indian batting maestro gave a shut-up call to Labuschagne and the Australian crowd with a silent gesture. Kohli asked the Adelaide crowd to shush with a ‘finger on his lips,’ and now the clip is across social media.
Watch how Virat Kohli shushes Adelaide crowd in style here:
— Kirkit Expert (@expert42983) December 7, 2024
Stunning catch by #YashasviJaiswal! 🤯
First with the bat & now with the ball, #NitishReddy paves the way for #TeamIndia 💪#AUSvINDOnStar 2nd Test, Day 2 👉 LIVE NOW! #AUSvIND | #ToughestRivalry pic.twitter.com/gKNqO2N9GO
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) December 7, 2024
Notably, Marnus Labuschagne was also involved in another crucial partnership of 67 runs with Nathan McSweeney to help Australia go past India’s first innings total of 180 runs in the ongoing Day-Night Test at the Adelaide Oval on Day 2. Currently, Australia is leading by 10+ runs against India.
In the morning session, Jasprit Bumrah got the two quick wickets of Nathan McSweeney and Steve Smith, but the hosts are still in great control in the ongoing second Test against India in Adelaide. Since Travis Head is already settled down with a quick fifty, the Indian team needs to get quick wickets to swing the game in their favor at the Adelaide Oval.
Sunil Gavaskar defends Virat Kohli after cheap outing in the first innings at Adelaide
Earlier, in the pink-ball match, Virat Kohli fell to a sharp Mitchell Starc delivery outside the off stump, edging it to Steve Smith in the slips. While the dismissal drew criticism from some experts, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar came to Kohli’s support.
Gavaskar emphasized that one rare failure on Day 1 of the Day-Night Test in Adelaide does not diminish the consistency and skill that have helped Kohli amass over 9,000 runs in Test cricket.
Sunil Gavaskar said on Jio Cinema after Day 1: “The man has got more than 9000 Test runs batting with the same technique. He has gotten out twice, so what? He has 30 hundreds. He knows how to bat. It is so that you can’t bring it down in time to let the ball harmlessly pass. But the man was not lucky in Perth or this time around. There is plenty of time left in this series.”