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Australia's Steven Smith shared his perspective on the unexpected runout incident involving Virat Kohli and Yashasvi Jaiswal on Day 2 of the fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at the MCG on Friday.
In pursuit of Australia's imposing total of 474, India looked in control despite losing two early wickets, thanks to the commanding presence of Kohli and Jaiswal. With India at 51/2, Kohli and Jaiswal showcased a masterclass in batting with elegant strokeplay. The Australian bowlers appeared bereft of ideas, forcing captain Pat Cummins to adopt a defensive strategy instead of taking an aggressive approach against the duo. Kohli displayed discipline and confidence in his approach, while Jaiswal struck a fine balance between caution and aggression. However, the momentum evaporated in a flash. Jaiswal drove the ball hard straight to Cummins and set off for a run. Kohli, watching the ball's trajectory, hesitated as Jaiswal continued from the other end. Cummins quickly assessed the situation and threw towards the striker's end but missed. Wicketkeeper Alex Carey, however, collected the ball and broke the stumps, ending Jaiswal's promising innings and denying him a well-deserved century. The incident left fans divided, with debates raging over who was at fault. Former cricketers Irfan Pathan and Sanjay Manjrekar expressed differing opinions during the post-day analysis. Smith, who witnessed the moment unfold, shared his observations. "It looks like Jaiswal called 'yes' and ran, but Virat sent him back. Simple as that. I didn't see much more than that. I was running in, pretty excited. It was a nice wicket. It was really a good partnership. Then getting two more wickets made it a huge last hour for us," Smith said in the post-day press conference. Following the end of the 102-run partnership, India lost two more wickets within 20 minutes. Kohli edged a delivery to Carey off Scott Boland, and nightwatchman Akash Deep was dismissed for a duck, falling to a sharp delivery from Boland. Ravindra Jadeja ended the day's play on a positive note, flicking a boundary to bring India's total to 164/5, trailing Australia by 310 runs. (ANI)
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