The ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy has been rife with heated exchanges, with Australian opener Sam Konstas frequently at the center of the action. The 19-year-old has consistently irked Indian players since his Test debut in the Boxing Day match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, where he impressed with a quickfire 60 off 65 balls.
Tensions escalated further in Sydney, where India’s Yashasvi Jaiswal was caught sledging Konstas hilariously in Hindi, using the stump microphone as his platform. Mocking the Australian by deliberately mispronouncing his name to sound like the Australian airline “Qantas,” Jaiswal jibed:
“Oye Kontas, kya ho gaya? Ab shots nahi dikh rahe kya? Oye Kontas, shot nahi lag rahe kya abhi?” (“Hey, Konstas, what’s the matter? Can’t you see the ball? Can’t you hit any shots now?”)
This comes after earlier confrontations in the series, including a shoulder barge by Virat Kohli in the previous Test, which resulted in a fine, and an argument between Jasprit Bumrah and Konstas in the final over of Day 1 at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
On Day 2, Indian bowlers dominated as they bowled out Australia for just 181 in their first innings. Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna were the standout performers, claiming three wickets each.
Nitish Reddy also played a crucial role by dismissing skipper Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc. Jasprit Bumrah picked up two wickets in his 10 overs but had to leave the field for scans after experiencing discomfort.
For Australia, debutant Beau Webster showed resilience, scoring a gritty maiden half-century (57). Despite Bumrah’s injury scare, India managed to secure a narrow 4-run first-innings lead.
In their second innings, India started aggressively, with Yashasvi Jaiswal smashing 16 runs off Mitchell Starc in the first over. However, wickets fell at regular intervals, with KL Rahul and others failing to make an impact. Rishabh Pant then turned the game around with a blazing 61, hitting six boundaries and four sixes.
At stumps, Ravindra Jadeja (8*) and Washington Sundar (6*) were unbeaten, taking India to 141/6 and extending the lead to 145 runs. India holds the upper hand, setting the stage for an exciting Day 3.
