Fri Dec 27 13:01:10 UTC 2024: ## Australia Dominates Day 2 of Boxing Day Test, India Faces Steep Climb
**Melbourne, Australia:** Australia asserted its dominance on day two of the Boxing Day Test against India, leaving the visitors with a challenging uphill battle. Resuming at 311/6, Australia, propelled by Steve Smith’s century (140 runs), posted a formidable first-innings total of 474.
India’s reply got off to a shaky start, losing Rohit Sharma early for a meager 3 runs. KL Rahul followed soon after, falling for 24 just before the tea break. While Yashasvi Jaiswal (82) and Virat Kohli (36) forged a promising century partnership, their dismissals triggered a late-day collapse. Jaiswal was run out, and Kohli, seemingly losing concentration after his partner’s departure, edged a delivery from Scott Boland to the wicketkeeper.
At stumps, India were 164/5, still trailing by a massive 310 runs and needing 111 more runs to avoid the follow-on. Akshdeep Nath, the night watchman, also fell cheaply. Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja remained unbeaten at the close of play.
The match is evenly poised in the series at 1-1, but Australia’s strong performance on day two has significantly shifted the momentum in their favor. The remaining days will be crucial for India to salvage the match.
First Piper 