IND VS AUS: Usman Khawaja Elated With His 14th Test Hundred

After smashing his first hundred on Indian soil on Day 1 of the fourth Test against India at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, Australian opener Usman Khawaja said he was running high on emotions after reaching the three-figure mark. Khawaja remained unbeaten on 104 and he will continue his innings on the second day of the fourth Test.

Australia’s stand-in captain Steve Smith opted to bat first on the best batting surface of the four-match series. Khawaja and his opening partner Travis Head provided a strong foundation by adding 50+ runs for the first wicket. Head tried to clear mid-on but was caught in the circle and gave a chance to the hosts to come back in the game. Marnus Labuachagne departed soon after as Australia lost two wickets in the first session. Khawaja and Smith made sure Australia didn’t lose any wickets in the second session. Both batters added 79 runs through the second session. Smith couldn’t capitalize on the good start as he once again fell to Ravindra Jadeja. Meanwhile, Khawaja completed his century off 246 balls in the final session. 

IND VS AUS: Khawaja Reflects on a Special Knock

“It was a lot of emotion in that. I have been to India on two tours before this and carried drinks in eight Test matches. It was such a nice wicket. I just didn’t want to give my wicket away. It was a mental battle more than anything. You need to put your ego away.. I had the helmet in my right hand, I told him (Green) just me a hug, instead of a high five (following his century). I have no superstitions, I stretched a bit in the morning and I was ready to go,” said Usman Khawaja after smashing his first hundred in India.

This was Khawaja’s third fifty-plus score in the series as he continues to make an impact with the bat in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar series. With this knock, Khawaja also displaced India skipper Rohit Sharma as the leading run-scorer of the series. He not only became the first Australian to score a century in the ongoing series but also the first Australian opener to score a century against India in the format since 2015.

At the stumps of Day 1, Australia finished at 255/4 with Usman Khawaja (104*) and all-rounder Cameron Green (49*)  remaining unbeaten on 104 and 49 respectively. They’ll look to add more runs to their 116-ball 85-run partnership as Australia looks to get big first-innings total.