AUSTRALIA VS INDIA, 2ND TEST, ADELAIDE : Pat Cummins Guides Australia to Historic Win Over India To Level The Test Series By 1-1.
Skipper Pat Cummins’ exceptional performance led Australia to a remarkable 10-wicket victory over India in the second Test in Adelaide. On Day 3, Australia, needing just 19 runs to win, achieved the target seamlessly with openers Usman Khawaja and Nathan McSweeney wrapping it up in just 3.2 overs. Earlier, Cummins secured a five-wicket haul, dismissing India for 175. For Australia, Mitchell Starc claimed eight wickets, while captain Pat Cummins took seven. Travis Head was the standout with a brilliant 140-run inning. In the Indian camp, Nitish Reddy was the only standout performer, scoring 42 in both innings. This win allowed Australia to level the five-match Border-Gavaskar series at 1-1.
TOSS-
India won the toss and decided to bat first.
PLAYING XI-
Australia Squad:
- Usman Khawaja
- Nathan McSweeney
- Marnus Labuschagne
- Steven Smith
- Travis Head
- Mitchell Marsh
- Alex Carey (wk)
- Pat Cummins (c)
- Mitchell Starc
- Nathan Lyon
- Scott Boland
India Squad:
- Yashasvi Jaiswal
- KL Rahul
- Shubman Gill
- Virat Kohli
- Rishabh Pant (wk)
- Rohit Sharma (c)
- Nitish Reddy
- Ravichandran Ashwin
- Harshit Rana
- Jasprit Bumrah
- Mohammed Siraj
DAY 1-
Right from the first delivery, Starc had Yashasvi Jaiswal, centurion from the first Test, dismissing LBW to a full ball. This perfect start boosted Australia’s comeback efforts and likely planted doubts in India’s mind about choosing to bat first.
KL Rahul and Shubman Gill steadied India’s innings with a 69-run partnership. However, just as things seemed stable, Australia seized control in a crucial half-hour before lunch. All the Australian pacers made their mark, with Cummins displaying exceptional economy. Starc, returning for another spell, struck again, getting Rahul caught at gully by Nathan McSweeney and eliminating a hesitant Virat Kohli with an edge to the second slip.
The icing on the cake was Boland’s strike against Gill. Although Gill had initially managed Boland’s off-stump line with a unique trigger movement, he fell victim to a full delivery, being trapped LBW. Losing three wickets in just fifteen balls plunged India into trouble heading into the break, with things worsening from there.
Nitish Reddy, accompanied by the last wicket, executed several audacious moves from the T20 repertoire, notably a reverse-scooped six off Boland. He was the final player dismissed after a valiant 42, attempting to score off Starc, who concluded with a personal best of 6/48.
Australia began their batting under challenging conditions, with fading light advantageously suiting seam bowlers. While India generated significantly more movement in the first ten overs compared to Australia, this did not translate into any wickets. Usman Khawaja and Nathan McSweeney, who displayed more caution, weathered the initial overs, primarily against Jasprit Bumrah’s threat. A change in bowling approach, switching to around the wicket, eventually led to Khawaja nicking a ball to first slip. Bumrah had a chance at McSweeney in a similar circumstance, but Pant’s dive missed what seemed to be a straightforward catch heading to first slip.
McSweeney was then joined by a resolute Marnus Labuschagne, who meticulously took 18 balls to score his first run. Together, they persevered through the rest of the day’s play, enabling Australia to claim the upper hand by the end of day one.
DAY 2
India found success in the morning session when Bumrah dismissed Nathan McSweeney with an away-swinging delivery and shortly after removed Steven Smith, caught down the leg side, putting Australia at a precarious 103/3. Head faced some early pressure with the around-the-wicket angle utilized by both Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj but managed to navigate through it. Partnering with Labuschagne, he overcame that difficult phase to accelerate scoring subsequently. Harshit Rana conceded four boundaries in one over as Australia advanced beyond the early challenges.
However, against the flow of play, Labuschagne was caught by Yashasvi Jaiswal at gully off Nitish Reddy for 68. His exit did not significantly hinder Australia’s progress, as Head continued, reaching his fifth Test fifty against India and second consecutive in this series, solidifying Australia’s advantage by the end of the morning session.
India faced a contentious LBW decision against Mitchell Marsh when the third umpire ruled there wasn’t firm proof of whether Ashwin’s delivery hit the pad or the bat first. Additional replays from the broadcaster hinted that the ball struck the pad initially, yet India lost the review, concluding a taxing morning session. The day only became more difficult from there.
KL Rahul was dismissed first, caught off guard by a short ball from Cummins and edging it to the keeper. Yashasvi Jaiswal started well but edged behind to Boland, who shortly after dismissed Virat Kohli too. Starc’s swinging delivery bowled Shubman Gill, worsening India’s position. Rohit Sharma had a difficult innings, being struck on the helmet first ball and escaping an LBW dismissal due to Starc’s no-ball. However, as he tried to hold the innings with Rishabh Pant playing aggressively, Cummins sneaked one through Sharma’s defense to hit the top of off stump. At 105/5, Australia’s grip on the match was firm, preserving the advantage from the challenging first session.
DAY 3
India began the day trailing by 29 runs with five wickets remaining. Mitchell Starc immediately put them on the defensive by getting Rishabh Pant to edge to second slip. The Indian lower-order then faced a barrage of short balls, particularly from Cummins. Though R Ashwin managed to counter briefly, he eventually gloved a catch to the wicketkeeper.
Brief Scores: India 180 (Nitish Reddy 42; Mitchell Starc 6-48) & 175 (Nitish Reddy 42; Pat Cummins 5-57) lost to Australia 337 (Travis Head 140, Marnus Labuschagne 64; Jasprit Bumrah 4-59, Mohammad Siraj 4-98) & 19/0 by 10 wickets.
