"We now know why they were not giving him the visa" - Twitterati lauds Usman Khawaja's marathon knock in 4th IND vs AUS Test

Australian opening batter Usman Khawaja frustrated the Indian bowlers to the limit after a 10-hour stay at the crease, which yielded 180 runs off 422 deliveries.

His stay came to an end on the very first ball of the third session, narrowly short of a well-deserved double hundred after Axar Patel trapped him lbw.

Khawaja resumed his innings from the century mark, which he attained in the final over of Day 1 at the Narendra Modi Stadium. He once again played with a nonchalant approach and made the Indian bowlers toil hard under the sun.

The left-handed batter shared a mammoth partnership for the fifth wicket with Cameron Green, who also went on to notch his maiden Test ton.

Khawaja recorded the second-highest score of his career and his approach boded well with Australia's plan of intending to bat long and hopefully only once. The traditional pitch is expected to deteriorate soon and offer turn from Day 3 onwards.

The Twitterati were in awe of the veteran batter, who played an almost flawless knock, arguably one of the best innings by a visiting batter in the Indian subcontinent.

Here are some of the reactions on the social media platform:

Brilliant innings by Khawaja. We now know why they were not giving him the visa

Not Only Physical Strength is Required to Play Over 10 Hours But Also it Requires Lot of Mental Strength and Dedication to Play This Long,
Well played Usman Khawaja!

#INDvsAUS

180 from 422 balls batted for 5 sessions. An innings of courage and patience @Uz_Khawaja 🇦🇺👏

#BGT2023 #INDvAUS

What a knock from Usman Khawaja! 180 runs off 422 balls, a true test of patience and skill. Australia's star performer with the bat this series, he's shown his class once again. A magnificent performance that will be remembered for a long time. #INDvAUS

Usman Khwaja 🙌🏏
#BorderGavaskarTrophy2023
#UsmanKhawaja https://t.co/HFFqPHmqkA

A Innings to remember #UsmanKhawaja 👏

#BGT23

Usman Khawaja becomes the FIRST Australian cricketer to face 400+ balls in a Test innings in India.

Prev record :
392 balls - Graham Yallop (Kolkata '79)

Also this is the first time a visiting batter faced 400+ balls in India after 13 yrs - since Amla at Nagpur, 2010.
#INDvsAUS

Usman khawaja just showed that Indian bowlers are nothing without turning tracks. A long marathon innings by him. May be he is taking the revenge for delaying his visa😜.
#INDvAUS #UsmanKhawaja
#BorderGavaskarTrophy2023

It's very good to see an Overseas Opening batsman playing so well in India..What a knock @Uz_Khawaja 🙌
#INDvAUS

Usman Khawaja has now batted for 10 hours!
The longest by any visiting batter is 11 hours, 30 mins by Younis Khan (267) in Bangalore in March 2005.
#IndvAus #IndvsAus #BGT
#AusvsInd #AUSvIND

Well played @Uz_Khawaja 🙌

#UsmanKhawaja #INDvAUS

At the start of last year, Usman Khawaja was 35 and hadn't played a Test in two and a half years.

Since his recall, Khawaja averages 69.91 with six centuries from 16 Tests.

What a comeback to Test cricket.

#INDvAUS https://t.co/2ZHWSc0kWI

Australia hanging on strong despite losing Usman Khawaja's wicket

The Aussies are determined to play out the entire day for the second consecutive time.

While their plans looked to be under threat for a while after Khawaja was dismissed off the first ball after Tea, the tail has held together really strong, prolonging Team India's misery on the field.

Nathan Lyon has played 64 deliveries while fellow spinner Todd Murphy has proved to be the perfect ally at the other end. The pair have put together 31 runs off 63 deliveries at the time of writing as Australia have amassed a score of 443-8 in 156.3 overs.

Ravichandran Ashwin has been the pick of the bowlers for Team India despite no real turn being on offer from the surface across the first two days.

The veteran off-spinner has claimed four wickets and could notch one of the most hard-earned five-wicket hauls of his career.

Do Team India have any way back in this contest after an inspiring performance by Australia? Let us know what you think.