Border-Gavaskar Trophy: An opening stand for the ages by Yashasvi and KL

Till a few days back, the opening pair was the main cause of worry in the Indian camp when it emerged that skipper Rohit Sharma would not be available for the first Test after all.

After young Yashasvi Jaiswal and the much maligned KL Rahul showed the class and resilience of the highest order on Day II in Perth, the obvious question which one may shun from asking is: where do you fit in an off form Rohit in this line-up?

The second day certainly belonged to the visitors who have now seized control of the Test but more importantly, it should go a long way in destroying the inner demons of the Indians – who looked low on self confidence after the whitewash to New Zealand at home.

It remains to be seen whether both Yashasvi and KL are destined for greater glory on Sunday, but they have already showed that the triumvirate of Cummins-Starc-Hazlewood is not unplayable if one is ready to apply themselves in an old fashioned manner.

An unbroken 172-run opening stand from 57 overs, albeit on a wicket which got more benign as the match progressed on the second day, signalled the right intent on part of the Indian batters.

It was a redemption of sorts for the 22-year-old Yashasvi, who was panned for reaching out for a drive with hard hands in the first innings to be caught at the slips for no score while KL summoned all the experience at his disposal to blunt the heavyweight new ball attack.

Sunny-Srikkanth record in sight

This unbeaten effort becomes the first 150-plus opening stand by a visiting team in Australia since 159 by Andrew Strauss & Alastair Cook at the MCG in 2010 and the first outside Ashes Tests since the 191 by Sunil Gavaskar & Kris Srikkanth at the SCG in 1986.

Gavaskar broke down Yashasvi’s innings as a TV pundit: “I think he’s a quick learner. You can see that from the way he’s now looking to play straight and not looking to play so much around the cover area where the bat face opens up. He’s looked to play straight and that’s why he’ s been a lot more successful in middling the ball, not edging it. Yes, there will be the odd occasion when the ball will trouble you. 

‘’That’s part of batting. I mean, there have seldom been a totally flawless innings. There will be the odd edge, but the adapting that you have to do and he’s adapting well. He's adapted really well in the sense that he he's made sure that when the ball has bounced he's grown on top of the bounce as well and that is the reason he's been so impressive." 

For those with an eye for figures, it was Yashasvi’s ninth fifty in what had been an extraordinary Test career so far while he also overtook Brendon McCullum’s record of 33 sixes in a calendar year in Tests. The landmark shot came when the opener stepped out to loft the deceptive Nathan Lyon for a maximum over long on while KL got his 16^th half century in the longer format in a chequered career.    

 The opening duo breached past the 100-run partnership mark in the 38th over as both showed they were willing to bide their time. Senior partner KL, who looked content in playing the second fiddle, took 124 balls to complete his half-century while Yashasvi reached the landmark off 123 deliveries.