Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon has called the catastrophic mix-up between Yashasvi Jaiswal and Virat Kohli, which led to the opener’s run-out, a “coach killer” — using a rugby term — and “one of the best barbeques” he’s ever seen. Lyon acknowledged that the mistake caught Australia off guard and allowed them to build further pressure on the Indian side.
Jaiswal, who had been playing well, was dismissed for 82 from 118 balls when he played a crisp drive off Scott Boland to mid-on and set off for a quick single. However, Kohli, standing at the non-striker’s end, didn’t see him running and was instead focused on the ball. By the time Kohli turned around, both were at the same end, and Alex Carey collected a throw from Pat Cummins to break the stumps at the striker’s end, sending Jaiswal back to the pavilion and ending their 102-run partnership.
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“It was probably one of the best barbecues I’ve seen,” Nathan Lyon told ABC Sport. “It came out of the blue. They were doing it pretty easily out there. I know pressure does funny things, and we were able to build that little bit of pressure. Silly run-outs are coach killers, aren’t they?”
While Indian fans debated who was at fault for the mix-up, Kohli was dismissed just seven balls later, edging a delivery behind to the wicketkeeper. Nightwatchman Akash Deep followed soon after. Kohli’s dismissal was especially disappointing, as he had batted with almost flawless control for 85 balls, reaching 36, and looked set for a big innings in helpful conditions.
Australia’s Steve Smith, who scored 140 in the first innings, shared his thoughts on Kohli’s dismissal. “He looked really good today. I thought, ‘Geez, he’s in for a good one here’,” Smith said. “It was probably the first ball I think he actually played out on that fifth, sixth stump line. He was really disciplined today. He was leaving nicely, making the bowlers come to him a bit more, and scoring well through the leg side when we went short.”
WATCH – Sanjay Manjrekar And Irfan Pathan Clash Over Yashasvi Jaiswal’s Run-Out At MCG
From a strong position of 153/2, India ended Day 2 at 159/5, trailing by 310 runs. It will now be up to Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Washington Sundar to help the visitors avoid the follow-on and close the gap on Australia’s formidable total of 474.
