Steve O'Keefe bags three wickets in an over as Australia's spinners break open the first Test in Pune
O'Keefe bags six as India lose 7-11
Stephen O’Keefe has ripped India apart after lunch on day two, capturing six wickets in just 24 deliveries to put the tourists in firm control of the first Border-Gavaskar Test in Pune.
Day 2: Australia's spinners rip through India in Pune
O’Keefe bagged a career-best haul of 6-35 from 13.1 overs as India collapsed in spectacular fashion to be all out for 105, losing seven wickets for just 11 runs in 47 balls to give up a 155-run first-innings deficit.
India entered the second session of day two at 3-70, trailing Australia by 190 runs with inspirational captain Virat Kohli already out for his first Test duck on home soil.
Forty minutes later India’s first innings was in tatters, due in large part to left-arm spinner O’Keefe, who captured three wickets in the 33rd over.
The NSW Blues spinner first removed set batsman KL Rahul, the opener having breezed to 64 from 97 balls with only a shoulder injury, suffered when hoicking O'Keefe for a straight six, restricting him.
W 1 W . W . . . . . . . 1 W 1 . . . W 1 . . 1 W
— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) February 24, 2017
Steve O'Keefe, take a bow! What a spell #INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/77O33mOFwI
Rahul re-injured the same shoulder attempting to loft O’Keefe out of the ground again, only to pick out David Warner sprinting around from long-off.
Quick Single: Thirty-eight minutes of carnage in Pune
Two balls later the left-armer dismissed India’s other set batsman, Ajiknya Rahane, who was squared up by the Australian and brilliantly held by a diving Peter Handscomb at second slip.
The pattern continued on the final ball of the over when wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha looked to leave a straight ball that clipped the edge and went through to Steve Smith at first slip, via the gloves of wicketkeeper Matthew Wade.
India started the over at 1-94 and ended it at 4-95, but more pain was to come when Ravichandran Ashwin, batting at No.6, defended Lyon straight down and onto his boot, with the ball ballooning up off the toe to short leg where the man with the Velcro hands, Handscomb, pulled off another stunning one-handed catch to complete the wicket.
Quick Single: SOK delivers after Warne's 'safe' jibe
The collapse, then at 4-1 in eight balls, added a fifth victim in the 37th over as Wade brilliantly whipped off the bails to find Jayant Yadav’s back foot on the line and hand O’Keefe a fourth victim.
O’Keefe claimed his fifth in his next over when Ravindra Jadeja holed out to Mitchell Starc at deep long-on to see India lose 6-7 and their grip on the first Test.
And the end came in O'Keefe's next over, Umesh Yadav edging to Smith at first slip after a wild swipe, handing Australia a 155-run lead.
Having completed a five-wicket haul in the space of just 19 deliveries, O'Keefe wrote himself into the history books with the second-fastest five-wicket bag in Test history.
It was India's second-lowest total against Australia and the 7-11 they lost to end the innings was their worst seven-wicket collapse in history, beating the previous 'best' of 7-18.
CMON AUSSIE!!!
— Ryan Harris (@r_harris413) February 24, 2017
#INDvAUS 😳 Wow!
— Mitchell Johnson (@MitchJohnson398) February 24, 2017
SOKYYYYY U R BLOODY GENIUS 😍#INDvAUS #SpinToWin #turnandburn #straya 🇦🇺
— Fawad Ahmed (@bachaji23) February 24, 2017
SOK..... very well deserved. He has worked extremely hard to get this opportunity. Great captaincy from @stevesmith49 as well.
— Michael Clarke (@MClarke23) February 24, 2017
Wow! 😱 outstanding effort by the @CricketAus boys 👏🏼👏🏼 O'keefe what a spell and @mstarc56 on point as always. Game on 😈 #INDvAUS #crazygame
— Megan Schutt (@megan_schutt) February 24, 2017
Absolutely over the moon for my man #fivefa you are a bloody ripper well done brother. Soky boiiiii
— John Hastings (@johnhastings194) February 24, 2017
26 balls 5 wkts for 4 runs & O'Keeffe's change of ends has worked. Australia are on fire. India for the first time in a while are struggling
— Shane Warne (@ShaneWarne) February 24, 2017
Wadey stumping 🥂
— Damien Fleming (@bowlologist) February 24, 2017
SOK on 🔥
India 9/99#IndvAus
Who would've thought, Australia with a 155 run lead after the first innings. Hard to see India getting back into the game. #IndvAus
— Tom Moody (@TomMoodyCricket) February 24, 2017
Cmon Oz!!!
— Tim Nielsen (@nielsen514) February 24, 2017
C'mon boys @CricketAus! Petey on fire with a couple of screamers 🔥🙌🏻
— Peter Siddle (@petersiddle403) February 24, 2017
Sokkkkkkky boy!!! #INDvAUS
— Trent Copeland (@copes9) February 24, 2017
Wowee... 😳
— Alyssa Healy (@ahealy77) February 24, 2017