New Delhi, December 06, 2024.
Marnus Labuschagne is yet to open his account, and the Indian fielders are not making life easy for him as they constantly chirp away. Australia openers Usman Khawaja and Nathan McSweeney just about survived the first 10 overs from Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj with the sun setting and the dreaded twilight time looming in on the pink-ball Test at the Adelaide Oval. However, Bumrah was finally rewarded for constantly hitting the deck as Usman Khawaja edged to Rohit Sharma in the slips.
Earlier, Nitish Kumar Reddy squeezed out as many runs as possible from the tail and took India to a score of 180 batting first in the pink-ball Test against Australia at the Adelaide Oval. He fell on 42 off 54 balls and became the sixth man to fall to Mitchell Starc on the day. Starc finished with career-best figures of 6/48, continuing his domineering run at home in pink-ball Tests.
India had been reduced to their last two wickets for 141 runs in the second session. Reddy’s charge took India past 170-run mark. Earlier, captain Rohit Sharma’s return to the middle order didn’t last long as he fell to Scott Bolland early in the second session. Australia captain Pat Cummins then suddenly rediscovered his mojo and bounced out Rishabh Pant. This brought Ravichandran Ashwin and he hit 22 quick runs before becoming Starc’s fifth victim of the day.
Starc was earlier the toast of the first session of the pink-ball Test between India and Australia at the Adelaide Oval. India were reeling at 82/4 at Dinner with captain Rohit Sharma batting on one off 10 balls and Rishabh Pant on four off six. Starc rattled India early by dismissing the dangerous Yashasvi Jaiswal for a golden duck off the very first ball of the match. Starc was then brought back towards the end of the first session and responded by dismissing KL Rahul for 37 off 64 balls, thus ending a 69-run stand between him and Shubman Gill. India then suddenly lost two more wickets and Australia finished in front at the end of the first session. Starc got Kohli in his next over and then Shubman Gill fell to Scott Boland after scoring 31 in 51 balls.
Gill and Rahul seemed to have got India off to a fluent start after Starc shocked them early. Rahul had his fair share of luck earlier in the innings. He nicked behind to the wicketkeeper off the first ball bowled by Scott Boland but he was saved by the umpire calling it a no ball. Rahul was later dropped off the fifth ball of the same over. He then changed tactics and scored fluently with Gill after the drinks break until he fell late in the session.
India captain Rohit Sharma earlier won the toss and said that the visitors are batting first in the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. India have chosen to drop Washington Sundar and bring back Ravichandran Ashwin. Apart from this, Dhruv Jurel and Devudutt Padikkal also sit out as expected as Rohit and Shubman Gill return.
It is a pink-ball Test and Australia are yet to lose one in Adelaide. India completed a dominant 295-run victory after a surgical performance in Perth, where the batters and bowlers alike put forward a fantastic show to help the visitors claim the opening match of the series at the Optus Stadium. With the team having played a preparatory practice match at the Manuka Oval in Canberra using the pink ball against the Australian Prime Minister’s XI, the Adelaide Test presents an excellent opportunity for India to put forward another strong performance and put themselves in a controlling position for the series going ahead.
It is a very significant match for Australia, for whom this could be a defining Test match not only in the context of the series, but also the World Test Championship and the future of their Test team moving forward. The management and fans won’t be too happy with the slightly limp performance the team put up in Perth, which is typically a fortress for them. A toothless bowling performance in the third innings was exacerbated by the batting being torn apart by Jasprit Bumrah on both occasions. Australia had very few positives to take away from the opening match of this five-match series, and it might now be a matter of resetting and going at it fresh.
Australia will also be missing Josh Hazlewood, who was their best bowler on show in the first Test match. Their replacement is more than capable, with Scott Boland having plenty of experience and capable of being a devastating bowler with the seam-friendly pink ball and his ability to hit hard lengths and rush opposition batters. They will also expect captain Pat Cummins to bounce back into form after a quiet performance in Perth, where he was atypically loose and not as threatening as he tends to be in Australian conditions.
The larger concern for Australia will be the batting, where the only player with any score of significance was Travis Head with a counter-attacking and dangerous 89 while chasing. There are concerns over the form of Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne, with the reliable duo struggling over the last few months and looking all-at-sea against India’s seam attack. With rookie batter Nathan McSweeney also looking shaky in an unfamiliar opening position in his debut Test, and the lower middle order also not shining in particular, there are maybe a few too many questions than Australian fans would be happy with.
On the Indian front, it was all good news in the pause between the first two Tests, as Shubman Gill was determined to be fit and regain his spot at number three, while Rohit Sharma’s return will also be a mark of optimism. The Indian captain confirmed that he will demote himself to the middle order, allowing KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal to continue their strong partnership opening the batting and also somewhat protecting Rohit from the new ball following his recent struggles against pace.
Jaiswal and Rahul’s form in Perth spells good things for India, while Gill was excellent on his tour to Australia in 2021 and is an improved batter since. But the best news for India is definitely the fact that Virat Kohli has runs behind him following his Perth century, continuing his love affair with Australia. Rishabh Pant remains the feared x-factor of international cricket, always capable of flipping the script in a game, while Nitish Kumar Reddy attuned excellently to Test cricket on his debut and forms a solid lower order bloc with Washington Sundar in case a rescue job is needed.
On the bowling front, India will be thankful that the injury luck has held up in their pace-bowling corps, marking a big difference from the injury-stricken tour last time out. Jasprit Bumrah will still be the monstrous presence on which India’s chances hinge: if he continues to breathe fire, it spells trouble for Australia and success for India. Around him, Mohammed Siraj and Harshit Rana have both impressed, and are expected to retain their roles after having been more than capable in their roles as support pacers.
There might be a surprise India could present with spin: while Washington Sundar provides quality spin and astute batting, Ravichandran Ashwin had success with the pink ball in Adelaide in 2020. Ravindra Jadeja also remains in contention, presenting a small quandary for Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma to deal with.
The Adelaide Test match will also have the spectre of 36 all-out hanging over it, with India looking to find some vengeance for that occasion, while Australia might take confidence in the knowledge that they were so successful with the pink ball against India in the past. India will know the importance of batting with intent, patience and application following that match, and will be looking to avenge the ghosts of Adelaide with a strong performance this time around.
