Renshaw relishing soaking pressure at Bengaluru Test

Young Australian opening batsman Matt Renshaw (60) displayed a lot of patience and poise as he battled not only hostile conditions but also the verbal volleys thrown at him by the Indian fielders on the second day of the second cricket Test here on Sunday.

The 20-year-old played 196 deliveries on a difficult M. Chinnaswamy stadium pitch as a desperate Indian side tried to limit the visitors' first innings lead after being bowled out for 189.

Renshaw and Shaun Marsh (66) lifted Australia to 237/6 at stumps on the second day.

During the tour of India, which the Aussies call the most difficult place to play cricket, Renshaw has showed that skill-wise, he is good and mentally, he is smart and mature. He fended off several altercations with the Indians, led by Virat Kohli, who was also involved in a war of words with his Australian counterpart Steven Smith.

"It's about embracing different conditions and challenges that we get. It was all good fun and a good contest out there. It was really loud out there when (Kohli) was doing that (pumping up the crowd) but it's something I'm probably not used to," Renshaw said at the post-play media conference here.

"I was just trying to enjoy it and laugh at what (Kohli) was saying because some of it was quite funny. He was just reminding me to run off and go to the toilet again which happened in Pune, so it was quite funny," Renshaw recalled.

"There was a bit of talk but I think that's because just (Steven Smith and Kohli) are trying to unnerve each other and try and get under the skin."

Renshaw also had confrontations after he denied bowler Ravichandran Ashwin from stopping a single of Smith. Both Ashwin and Kohli came down at Renshaw, who was then supported by his captain.

"We all took it pretty well and we know that they're trying to get under our skin because we've got a one-nil lead in the series," Renshaw added.

--IANS

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