‘He put his hand up straightaway’ – Alex Carey opens up on Matt Kuhnemann opening in injured Usman Khawaja’s absence

Usman Khawaja. (Photo Source: BCCI)

Australia opener Usman Khawaja faced discomfort in his knee in the ongoing fourth Test at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium. Following the conclusion of the Indian batting innings, Australia began their second innings as Matt Kuhnemann opened along with Travis Head on Day 4.

The interesting change in the batting line-up raised a lot of eyebrows, however, it is understood that Kuhnemann opened due to Khawaja’s knee issue. The flamboyant Aussie opener landed awkwardly on his left knee while trying to catch Axar Patel off Todd Murphy.

As per a report by The Age, the player has been receiving treatment for a ‘lower leg injury’ by the medical staff. Notably, it was the same knee that Khawaja injured in 2018. It remains to be seen whether the batter will be able bat on the final day.

“A left-handed Queenslander like Uzzy,” Alex Carey jokingly told media while describing Kuhnemann. “He put his hand up straight away and did a fantastic job. Probably, it was not his day for the ball. But yeah, all the guys would definitely get around him tonight for putting his hand up.

“It’s a tough task going out and facing that new ball against Indian spinners. So, he did a fantastic job with Travis, but obviously, the night-watchman came into play 20 minutes ago, so we sent them out…” he said.

Australia trail by 88 runs on Day 4

Speaking about the match, team India surpassed Australia’s first innings score thanks to Virat Kohli’s masterclass on Day 4. The swashbuckling right-hander took the onus of getting the vital runs as he notched up a sensational ton (186), his 75th century in international cricket, to end his drought. Kohli last scored a Test ton in November 2019, against Bangladesh at home.

Kohli and Axar Patel stitched a 162-run partnership, which helped India to go past Australia’s total. However, post drinks, the Aussies struck in quick time to conclude the Indian innings for 571 runs, with the overall lead being 91 runs.

Spin sensations Nathan Lyon and Todd Murphy returned with three-wicket haul each, whereas Kuhnemann and Starc got a wicket each to wrap up the innings. An exciting final day awaits as the tourists will look to put up a competitive target whereas India will aim to take all 10 wickets as soon as possible, considering the World Test Championship final berth is on stake.

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