"The underdog" - Fans erupt after Usman Khawaja hits splendid century in first Ashes 2023 Test

Australian opener Usman Khawaja delivered a spectacular batting performance against England in the first Test of the ongoing Ashes 2023 series, at Edgbaston on June 17.

Khawaja completed an impressive century on Day 2 of the opening Test. The southpaw showcased great composure under pressure, keeping Australia in the hunt despite not getting enough support from the other top order batters.

The left-handed batter crossed the magical three-figure mark in the 69th over of Australia's first innings. A number of fans then took to social media to laud Khawaja for his batting exploits.

Here are some of the best reactions on Twitter:

It is worth mentioning that this is Usman Khawaja's 15th Test ton, and first in England. He has performed brilliantly ever since he returned to Australia's red-ball team in January last year. With 1080 runs across 20 innings, he was the leading run-getter for his team in 2022.

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Usman Khawaja steadied the ship for Australia after their top order big guns departed early

Usman Khawaja

While Usman Khawaja came up with a gutsy century against England, the rest of the Australian top order batters failed to contribute significantly in the first innings.

Veteran opener David Warner managed to score just nine runs before falling to his nemesis Stuart Broad. This was the 15th time that Broad dismissed Warner in the format. The mercurial English pacer struck again on the very next ball, sending back Marnus Labuschagne for a golden duck.

The onus was on Steve Smith to bail his side out of trouble. However, he couldn't get going this time. The right-handed batter scored 16 runs and was out LBW off England captain Ben Stokes' bowling.

The in-form Travis Head chipped in with a crucial half-century, amassing 50 runs off 63 balls. Khawaja and Head stitched together an important 81-run partnership for the fourth wicket to give Australia a glimmer of hope.

All-rounder Cameron Green also made a handy contribution with the bat, amassing 38 runs before being undone by Moeen Ali. Eventually, a solid, unbeaten partnership between Khawaja and Alex Carey took Australia to 311/5 at the end of the day's play.