Former Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist feels that Indian captain Rohit Sharma’s front leg got stuck due to which he was out LBW to Scott Boland on the first day of the pink ball Test against Australia at the Adelaide Oval. Rohit, who missed the first match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Perth, returned to the middle order after six years, but failed to make an impact in India’s first innings. Boland was the only change to Australia’s playing eleven, with Hazlewood ruled out of the second Test due to injury.
Gilchrist said in the commentary, “Hazelwood was Australia’s best bowler in Perth, but it’s not bad to have Boland here as his replacement. Boland is tall, but you wonder whether the ball would have hit the stumps if Hazlewood had been there.” “Boland has the ability to skid the ball. It was a good night.”
Mitchell Starc wreaked havoc with the ball
Left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Starc took 6-48, his 15th five-wicket haul in Test matches, as Australia bowled out India for just 180 runs in 44.1 overs at tea on the first day of the second Test at the Adelaide Oval on Friday. Wrapped it up. Under overcast skies, Starc made a brilliant start to the day-night Test by dismissing Yashasvi Jaiswal LBW on the very first ball of the match. After this, India was taking its innings forward thanks to the 69-run partnership between KL Rahul and Shubhman Gill.
But Starc again struck with a double, dismissing Rahul and then Virat Kohli, before Scott Boland had Shubman Gill out LBW, taking India from 69/1 to 81/4 in the first session. After the dinner break, Starc used his inswinging yorkers to dismantle India’s lower order and dismiss India’s top run-scorer Nitish Kumar Reddy, achieving the best Test figures of his career and a perfect match for Australia. Completed the step.
The Indian team came out wearing black bands
In the first session, India won the toss and elected to bat first, in which Australia wore black armbands in memory of Phil Hughes and Ian Redpath. Starc gave Australia a great start when he swung a down leg delivery and had Jaiswal out LBW for a golden duck. Gill, who was returning after being out of the Perth Test due to a left thumb injury, hit four fours off Starc with his late slash and brilliant drive. Rahul showed composure outside the off and looked strong in defence, until he was caught on the first ball of Boland and everyone thought he was out for a duck in 18 balls.
Half century partnership between Rahul and Gill
But replays showed that Rahul got a lease of life as Boland had crossed his crease and the snicko showed that there was no edge to the bat. Five balls later, Rahul got another lease of life when Usman Khawaja dropped his catch at slip. After this, Rahul and Gill took advantage of Australia’s mistakes by forcing them to bowl more outside the off stump and put on a partnership of 69 runs for the second wicket. Just when it seemed the session would end in India’s favour, Starc came back and made a dramatic change in the script.
He first got Rahul caught behind the length ball at gully, then put Kohli in a dilemma whether to play or leave, and got him caught in the slips. Boland, playing his first Test after 18 months, had Gill out LBW for 31 and ensured Australia finished the season on a high by taking the last three Indian wickets for 12 runs in 16 balls.
All-out Team India in the second session
After the dinner break, Boland caught Rohit Sharma in the crease with a fuller ball and got him out LBW. If Nathan McSweeney had taken the catch of Rishabh Pant, India could have lost six wickets. Pant added 16 more runs before getting caught at gully by hitting the shoulder of the bat on the bouncing ball of Cummins. Ravichandran Ashwin hit some attractive fours off the balls of Marsh and Cummins, but Starc had him out LBW with a top inswinging yorker and Harshit Rana was out with another inswinger.
After the fall of wickets at one end, Reddy launched a brilliant counter-attack. After hitting a four off-drive off Cummins, Reddy hit another four off mid-off off Boland. After hitting Starc for a six over deep extra cover, Reddy reverse-scooped, flicked and pulled Boland for two sixes and a four. But Australia continued to perform well, with Cummins getting Jasprit Bumrah caught at first slip, then Starc dismissed Reddy at mid-off to wrap up the Indian innings.
Also read: IND vs AUS Pink Ball Test: Mitchell Starc’s historic feat in Test cricket, the first bowler to do so
