KHAWAJA 2.0: GREAT REVIVAL

Opener plays smart cricket to crack ton on Day 1 vs India, steers visitors to strong position on a good batting wicket

- SWAROOP SWAMINATHAN

USMAN Khawaja began his morning by shaking the hands of India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. At the end of the day’s play, Australia’s Cameron Green shook Khawaja’s hands as the southpaw notched a sixth Test century since the beginning of 2022, once again redlining his new-found status as one of the best batters in the sport’s longest format. It has certainly not been an easy journey to the top for the Pakistan-born 36-year-old.

But it’s been a reward for the hard work he has put in. This second wind of his is all the more remarkable when you consider the outside noise he had to deal with was so visceral he thought he had no ability to play spin. In this series, which has included treacherous surfaces like the one in Indore, not many batters have looked as assured as Khawaja. He was coming into the Test on the back of two half-centuries in the first three games so he had already spent some time in the middle. So, on a very good innings-building surface if you were up for the grind, he was never going to miss out. If the common themes on all three previous first days were ball beating bat, finding both edges or hitting the pads, the one reassuring sound in Ahmedabad was the ball finding the middle of Khawaja’s blade for the majority of the day.