Australian opener Marcus Harris and middle-order batsman Travis Head notched up brilliant half-centuries as the hosts reached 277 runs at the loss of six wickets on Day One of the ongoing second Test against India here at the Perth Stadium on Friday.
Opting to bat first, Harris (70) stitched a partnership of over hundred runs with fellow opener Aaron Finch (50) to give a strong start to Australia. India made a comeback in the game when pacer Jasprit Bumrah gave his side a much-needed breakthrough in the form of Finch.
Indian bowlers picked up wickets in quick succession after the initial breakthrough. While Usman Khawaja departed at 5 by Umesh Yadav, Harris' wicket was picked up by Hanuma Vihari.
The following batsmen- Shaun Marsh and Peter Handscomb- added 14 runs to the team's score but the partnership could not last long as Virat Kohli grabbed a sensational catch of Handscomb at slip to send the batsman back to the pavilion.
For the fifth wicket, Shaun Marsh and Travis Head built a crucial 84-run partnership to put Australia back on the driving seat. However, after adding 45 runs to the team's total, strong-looking Marsh also lost his wickets after he went for a cut off Vihari's delivery only to be caught by Rahane at the slip position.
Mohammed Shami, who had failed to get any wickets despite bowling economical spells in the match, finally got a reward for his disciplined bowling when he picked up Travis Head in the 82nd over of the match. Umpires called it a day when Tim Paine (16) and Pat Cummins (11) were on the crease.
For India, while Ishant Sharma and Hanuma Vihari picked two wickets each, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami scalped one wicket each in the match.
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