Nathan Lyon was Australia’s top bowler in the first inning of the match between India and Australia, taking five wickets, including those of KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, and KS Bharat. Being Pujara’s 100th Test, his dismissal was exceptionally noteworthy. Lyon created a lot of difficulty for the Indian team on Day 2 of the second Test in New Delhi, eliminating important players including Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Shreyas Iyer, and Srikar Bharat. Lyon discussed the achievement at a press conference following the game.
As Pujara was ready to play in his 100th Test, legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar voiced his belief that Pujara would score a century on the historic occasion. Regrettably, Pujara could not even reach his first run in the opening innings. When a reporter questioned Lyon about how he helped end Pujara’s goal of a century, the spinner sternly reminded him to “Gabba.” During the press conference, he said: “In Gabba, when I took my 100th Test, I failed to defend 300 as I had hoped. I understand that this is his 100th Test and that dreams do not always come true the way you want. But it has been a tremendous experience for me to engage in such epic bouts with Pujara over the years.”
Lyon explained his strategy for the Delhi Test match, wanting to force the Indian batters to defend their wickets. His tactic was to bowl around the wicket, targeting the off stump. He was hoping that if he could make them defend, he could create some chances for success. On Day 2, the Australians had a fast-paced batting start, with Head and Labuschagne scoring 61 runs in only 12 overs. To win the second Test and make the series a draw, they need to take a lead of more than 250 runs.