'Khawaja mere khawaja dil me samaja'- Usman Khawaja shines in challenging conditions against India in 2nd BGT Test

Usman Khawaja (image source: twitter)

Australia has gone into deep trouble in the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after they lost the big wicket of opener Usman Khwaja for 81 runs. After losing early wickets, Australia looked to fight back with a fine partnership between Khawaja and Peter Handscomb, but a terrific catch by KL Rahul saw the former dismissed. India had reduced Australia to 263 in the first innings of the match.

Pat Cummins won the toss and elected to bat first at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, but nothing went right for the Aussie batting line-up after they lost the early wicket of David Warner. The two left-handed openers were building a good partnership (50) but Warner was caught by Srikar Bharat in Mohammad Shammi's over. From then on, the Indian spinners were on the move as Ravichandran Ashwin dismissed Marnus Labuschagne (18 off 25) and Steve Smith (0 off 2) in just three deliveries in the 23rd over.

Australia had been practising hard against the spinners, but this time Shammi and Mohammed Siraj fired the red ball and lost their game against the pacers as well. Shammi bagged four wickets, including one of Travis Head.

It was Jadeja who got the in-form batter Khawaja out just when the Aussies opener looked set to score a ton. But credit must also be given to the Indian vice-captain, KL Rahul, for his one-handed stunner, which could probably be the game-changer for India. Khawaja's back-to-back reverse sweeps not only cost Australia but also gifted the Indian all-rounder his 250th Test wicket. Fans were disappointed after Khawaja lost his ton by just 19 runs, but also appreciated Rahul and Jadeja.

Delhi Test crucial for both the teams

Meanwhile, India made just one change to the playing XI for the second Test, with the hosts replacing Suryakumar Yadav with Shreya Iyer, who returned from injury. During the toss, skipper Rohit Sharma also expressed his and his teammates’ excitement for Cheteshwar Pujara, as India’s star batter is playing his 100th Test.

India currently leads the series 1-0 after winning the Nagpur Test. The visitors are hoping for a comeback in the second Test, but a win is crucial for India as they look to secure their place in the World Test Championship final.

Here's how Twitter reacted to Khawaja's wicket:

Khawaja is gone!! Deadly from jaddu ..yassss!! Though today Australia give a little fight to India for sure with khawaja being the lead .. best spin batter of AUS?? Maybe looking forward to see him in this series .. continue India .. get more .. #IndVsAus

— Mr. (@DARK47065865) February 17, 2023

Khawaja scores nearly half of his runs on reverse sweeps but also gets out on a reverse sweep. It's just another normal shot these days which can get you out as well.

— Hassan (@Gotoxytop2) February 17, 2023

Kinda wanted to see khawaja get a hundred #INDvAUS

— 비샬리⁷✨~rest~ (@jiminvish) February 17, 2023

What a catch from Rahul to get rid of Khawaja after a terrific knock. Just as Australia were starting to look on top :/

— Alexander Sutcliffe (@scrambldchannel) February 17, 2023

Gutted for Usman Khawaja. He was well on his way to a magnificent ton.

— Shafqat Shabbir (@Chefkat23) February 17, 2023

Commentator's curse from @sanjaymanjrekar for Usman Khawaja- "Achhi baat ye hai ki vo bahut hi control ke sath reverse sweep khelte hain" and on the next delivery he was in pavilion. 😅#INDvAUS #BorderGavaskarTrophy #BGT2023 #AskStar @StarSportsIndia pic.twitter.com/4hC1FI1j4Q

— Daya sagar (@DayaSagar95) February 17, 2023

Australia ki shaan tu,
pakistan ka dulhara,
khawaja mere khawaja

— parth (@parth_1800) February 17, 2023

I really enjoy it when Usman Khawaja makes runs.

— Derek Alberts (@derekalberts1) February 17, 2023