India beat Australia in the second Test and took a 2-0 lead in the series. One key moment came when Ashwin pulled off a clever bluff. He faked a delivery without even looking at the batter, trying to catch Marnus Labuschagne tipping his shot early. It worked. Marnus admitted it with a quick smile, then followed through anyway with a light sweep that went for four. It was a nice moment of back-and-forth trickery that you don’t see in baseball, where the batter rarely gives away intent like that.
Later, Steve Smith tried something similar, setting up for a reverse sweep, but he got caught. The ball looked like it would spin one way, then hit the seam and turned into topspin. Smith misread it, missed, and got out. He was clearly frustrated, especially after the review confirmed it would have hit the stumps. Ashwin’s spin caused all kinds of problems, and once Smith was out, the momentum turned hard. Australia kept trying sweeps, but India stayed in control and finished the match easily.
From the small duels between bowler and batter to the turning pitches and smart reads, India managed the match better. Ashwin’s deceptive spins played a big part in shifting the tone. Australia’s aggression didn’t pay off, and their attempt to sweep their way back into the match fell flat. India closed it out and now holds a commanding series lead.