India vs Australia, 2nd Test, Day 1:
IND: 180
AUS: 86/1
Undoubtedly, the first day of the second Test match, a pink ball Test, of the current Border-Gavaskar Trophy was entirely controlled by the home team Australia at the Adelaide Oval. Team India arrived at the Alidade Oval following their triumph in the series opener by a 295-run lead, aiming to uphold their momentum and clinch a position in the World Test Championship (WTC 2025) final. India was leading the WTC points table prior to the conclusion of the test series against New Zealand, during which Rohit Sharma and his team suffered a 0-3 whitewash on home ground. Since then, Indian cricketers have faced numerous questions, uncertainties, poor performance, and may be battling with lack of self-belive.
They were scoring runs, but did they look confidence enough?
Yashasvi Jaiswal was out by an quick delivery from Mitchell Starc. The young Indian opener entirely misread the in-swinging, full-length ball, which struck the pad, resulting in India’s first wicket loss. Following the dismissal, KL Rahul and Shubman Gill worked to sustain the innings for as long as they could. Rahul’s 37 and Gill’s 31 offered a glimmer of hope for Indian cricket supporters following the early wicket. Although they made significant contributions with their runs, neither Rahul nor Gill appeared very assured against the pink ball. Rahul was once let down by the Australian wicketkeeper. Virat Kohli, batting at his preferred number 4 spot, scored just 2 runs before getting out. Kohli, who made a century in the opening game, was also late in deciding whether to play the ball from Starc or let it go, resulting in an easy catch for Steve Smith.
When to score, and when to hold?
Rishabh Pant attempted to execute his usual counterattacking style once again. However, the Australian think tank conducted their research thoroughly to stop Pant from making a significant score. Pant returned to the pavilion after scoring 21 runs, aided by a couple of boundaries. Nitish Kumar Reddy, the emerging talent in Indian cricket, fell short of a half-century by eight runs, scoring 42 off 54 balls. Pant, as usual, aimed to strike the ball powerfully, caught off guard by an unforeseen bounce from a Pat Cummins delivery. The ball struck the gloves of a startled Rishabh, allowing Marnus Labuschagne to catch it effortlessly. Reddy was also dismissed. Rahul, Virat, Pant, and Reddy were all out for underestimating the ball. Reddy, talented yet lacking experience in the global arena, must understand when to take action and when to refrain.
Who will fill the anchor position?
Who will assume the anchor position for Team India? Captain Rohit Sharma batted at number six after nearly two years, managing to score just 3 runs. Virat scored just 7 runs, while Pant and Reddy struggled but couldn’t last long enough to rescue the team. In a situation where fast bowlers are gaining bounce and swing, who will assume the anchor position? Test matches, the longest format of cricket, where a batsman’s skills, technique, and patience are tested, need more attention on the ball and maturity on the pitch. Legends like Sunil Gavaskar to Rahul Dravid, they mastered their minds and playing styles according to the format. Sunil, Rahul, or even if we talk about Cheteshwar Pujara, they never mixed Test cricket with any other formats. Team India needs someone who can play the anchor role.
At the end of the day with the ball for Australia, Starc achieved his career-best figures of 6 wickets for 48 runs. Australian skipper Pat Cummins and Scott Boland both claimed 2 wickets each. Five out of eleven Indian players were caught out, and four batsmen fell to lbw.