"Debutant gets debutant" - Twitter reacts as Navdeep Saini picks up his maiden Test wicket
Indian Test debutant Navdeep Saini grabbed his maiden Test wicket in the form of Australian opener Will Pucovski. With extra pace, the 28-year-old trapped the young Aussie right in front and provided Team India with a much-needed breakthrough.
Australia won the toss at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) and opted to bat first. The visitors got off to a great start as Mohammed Siraj dismissed David Warner with Australia at 6 runs. But just when Team India looked to take advantage of the momentum gained, Pucovski and Marnus Labuschagne began consolidating Australia's innings.
The duo got their eye in and began to put the bad balls away. Both were positive in their footwork and didn't let the Indian bowlers settle to a particular line and length. Pucovski rode his luck, thanks to a couple of dropped chances from Rishabh Pant.
The young opener made the most of his chances to bag a half-century on Test debut. Just when the duo looked to take the game away from the visitors, stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane introduced debutant Navdeep Saini into the attack.
The nerves were clearly getting the better of the tall pacer from Delhi as Pucovski smashed Saini's first two balls in Test cricket to the boundary. However, the 28-year-old later settled into a rhythm and began to hit the right lengths. He broke the century-stand between Pucovski and Labuschagne and sent the young opener packing.
Pucovski was looking good for a hundred on Test debut, but Saini ensured that was not the case. The youngster couldn't handle the full ball from the pacer and was adjudged out LBW. Although the impact was umpire's call, there was no doubt that the ball would have gone on to hit the stumps.
Twitter congratulates Navdeep Saini on picking his maiden Test wicket
Australia would be the happier of the two teams at the end of a rain-hit day, having scored 166 runs for the loss of just two wickets, with both Steve Smith and Labuschagne looking good.
However, fans on Twitter didn't shy away from congratulating Navdeep Saini on picking up his maiden Test wicket. The speedster has come a long way in his career so far, rising up the ranks in domestic cricket.
Thus, the fans would be hoping that Navdeep Saini has a successful Test career for Team India. Here's what they had to say: