Usman Khawaja, the Australia captain, experienced knee pain during the current fourth Test at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium. On Day 4, Australia started their second innings as Matt Kuhnemann and Travis Head opened following the completion of the Indian batting innings.
Many people were puzzled by the intriguing change in the batting order, but it is clear that Kuhnemann opened because of Khawaja’s knee problem. While trying to catch Axar Patel from Todd Murphy, which ultimately sailed for a six, the flashy Australian opener stumbled and fell awkwardly on his left leg as the southpaw landed on the boundary lines with the ball still in his hands.
According to The Age, the Australian medical staff has advised a ‘lower-leg injury’ for the southpaw. Notably, it was the same knee that Khawaja injured in 2018. It remains to be seen whether the batter will be able bat on the final Day. “A left-handed Queenslander like Uzzy,” Alex Carey jokingly told media while describing Kuhnemann. “He put his hand up straight away and did a fantastic job. Probably, it was not his day for the ball. But yeah, all the guys would definitely get around him tonight for putting his hand up.
“It’s a tough task going out and facing that new ball against Indian spinners. So, he did a fantastic job with Travis, but obviously, the night-watchman came into play 20 minutes ago, so we sent them out…” he said. Speaking of the game, Virat Kohli’s masterful performance on Day 4 helped India exceed Australia’s first innings total. The daring right-hander, who just scored his 75th century in international cricket, assumed responsibility for scoring the crucial runs as he broke his drought with a spectacular tonne (186). In his home match against Bangladesh in November 2019, Kohli last recorded a test century.
A 162-run partnership between Kohli and Axar Patel enabled India to surpass Australia’s total. But, after a few drinks, the Australians struck quickly to end the Indian innings for 571 runs, giving them a 91-run advantage overall. Spin sensations Nathan Lyon and Todd Murphy returned with three-wicket haul each, whereas Kuhnemann and Starc got a wicket each to wrap up the innings. An exciting final day awaits as the tourists will look to put up a competitive target whereas India will aim to take all 10 wickets as soon as possible, considering the World Test Championship final berth is on stake.