After a severely curtailed first day in the third Test, Day 2 at the Gabba delivered a classic morning session of red-ball cricket as India and Australia shared honours with 76 runs scored and three wickets taken. Jasprit Bumrah had broken through soon after play began to get rid of both openers in quick succession before Nitish Kumar Reddy nicked off Marnus Labuschagne to end a formidable stand with Steve Smith, thus bringing Travis Head on to the middle. With Lunch fast approaching, Rohit Sharma brought on Akash Deep hoping for another probing spell and the Bengal pacer responded with aplomb, doing enough to provoke praise even from his rival.
Akash Deep targetted the channel outside off and kept plugging away, managing to extract some extra bounce and late away movement at the same time. Head compulsively threw his hands at a few deliveries but made no contact and the pressure was beginning to build. Things came to a head on the penultimate delivery of the 12th over when Akash Deep angled a delivery straighter than his previous efforts, forcing Head to push forward at it, but the slightest bit of outswing took the Kookaburra narrowly past the edge and into the hands of Rishabh Pant. Oohs and aahs immediately rang around the field while Head himself had his eyes popped open, evidently grateful for having survived the peach. He let Akash Deepk now as much with a “well bowled, mate” despite having triggered a fine-inducing altercation with Siraj the last time he claimed to have said those words.
Twitterati was definitely enthralled by the passage of play.
Surviving by inches
Nice
Aakash Deep to Head 🔥#INDvsAUS | #INDvAUS | #GabbaTest | pic.twitter.com/yz8lcJwTCw
— Siju Moothedath (@SijuMoothedath) December 15, 2024
AkashDeep has just bowled around 11 overs and he has already been better than Harshit Rana without even taking a wicket yet.
As I spoke before the series, India took a huge gamble by starting with someone who had so little first-class experience over a proven AkashDeep.— Sameer Allana (@HitmanCricket) December 15, 2024
Something
Crazy
Akash deep to head 🔥
Super over. Bowling 🔥 pic.twitter.com/NKxxf5TZpm— TorchBearer ᴸᵒᵏᶦ (@TorchbearerEdit) December 15, 2024
Akashdeep has been the most impressive bowler till now, but he couldn’t get the wicket.
He troubled everyone including Smith , Head and Labuchanage…#INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/VgWZHPZ9Su— CoverDriveKing (@funnycric) December 15, 2024
Almost
Problems
Akashdeep is creating problems for Head. That’s what I want. Saala ye tulla toh 0(1) bana ke out ho raha tha 3 TESTS se par ab kyun nahi out hua. Saala jo panauti lagana hai hum par hi lagana hai BC.
🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️— KUMAR SHUBHAM (@KUMARSH13187136) December 15, 2024
Head ain’t surviving akashdeep spell
— Shardul (@123perthiconic) December 15, 2024
One more
One more of Akashdeep to Head 🤞🏽
— तुषा_म्हणे (@tushbhanarkar45) December 15, 2024
