INDU19 vs AUS U19: Tanmay Baloda continues to torment Australia, puts India in control
Tanmay Baloda continued from where he left off in the first innings, adding four more wickets to his match tally to make it a 10-for. His spell of 4/26 put India Under-19 in an advantageous position against Australia Under-19 at the end of day two of the second multi-day Test here at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Tuesday.
Baloda was once again accurate, bowling at the stumps, and claimed Hayden Barbulovic, Matthew Lough and Neel Patel in quick succession.
Eli Brain was the only batter who looked comfortable at the crease while the rest struggled at the other end, with the pitch showing signs of variable bounce. He hit a few crisp drives through the covers for his 39 off 35 balls before Baloda had him caught at first slip.
Australia U-19 was 86 for four at the end of day’s play, trailing the hosts by 55 runs. India U-19 was earlier bowled out for 315, taking a 141-run first-innings lead.
Despite India’s dominance, the day still belonged to leg-spinner Spencer Green, who finished with figures of 7/110 – the second-best by an Australian U-19 bowler in Youth Tests.
Green had already picked up a wicket coming into the day and was Australia’s go-to weapon from the morning. But Kushagra Ojha (29) and Yashbardhan Chauhan (52) batted with great focus to begin the proceedings.
Chauhan was particularly solid in his strokeplay and hit three boundaries off pacer Thomas Vaseo, including a textbook cover drive for four to bring up his fifty.
The 18-year-old leg-spinner continued to target the edge of the bat, and he finally had Ojha caught at first slip. In the next over, Green cleaned up Chauhan with a quicker one, uprooting his middle stump.
With only the odd ball turning, Aryan Yadav and Manal Chauhan seemed comfortable right from the outset. Yadav cut Green for a first-ball four while the majestic ground echoed when Manal middled the ball.
However, just after Lunch, Manal top-edged his sweep off Green straight to short fine leg. In the next over, Vaseo rushed Yadav and cleaned him up. The leg-spinner completed his five-wicket haul by dismissing Mohit Ulva and then trapping Ayaan Akram in front off his next ball.
Just when Australia seemed to be taking control of the proceedings, Abhiprai Biswas counter-attacked. He slog-swept his first ball for a six off Green and drove well on the on-side against the pacers. Even with the leg side packed, Biswas found comfort in taking the aerial route over the fielders. He brought up his fifty off just 36 balls.
However, in an attempt to take the aggressive route again, the left-hander missed the one that crashed into his stumps, giving Green his seventh scalp.
India added 42 runs to its lead through the last-wicket partnership between Priyanshu Singh and Baloda, whose stroke-filled 28 off 37 balls was cut short by Jacob Pietz. However, Baloda continued to have fun in the field, putting India in a commanding spot heading into the third day.
Published on Oct 06, 2026
