Travis Head torments India again as Aussies dominate in Adelaide Pink ball test

 

India found themselves under pressure at the end of the first day of the day-night Test against Australia, and by the close of the second day, the situation had worsened. A combination of poor captaincy decisions by Rohit Sharma, lacklustre fielding, and batting failures left the Indian dressing room in disarray. A victory for Pat Cummins and his team to level the five-match Test series now seems a matter of time.

At stumps on Friday, Australia was at 86/1 in their first innings, with Matt Renshaw and Marnus Labuschagne at the crease. Despite leading by 94 runs, India failed to capitalize on the situation. On Saturday, Rohit used Jasprit Bumrah for only four overs early on, likely due to a foot injury. Bumrah later returned to bowl effectively, but the damage was already done. Ravichandran Ashwin, India's only specialist spinner, was introduced only in the 15th over of the day, a decision that raised eyebrows. Given that Australia had already faced 33 overs the previous day and the ball had aged considerably, Ashwin could have been brought in earlier to exploit the conditions.

Australia's ease in scoring runs was partly due to India's poor fielding. Wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant had an off day, dropping crucial catches behind the stumps, which proved costly. The Indian fielders struggled to meet basic standards, leaking runs frequently. Harshit Rana and Mohammed Siraj, despite Siraj picking up four wickets later, failed to make the most of the conditions at Adelaide. The lack of confidence and direction among Indian players was evident throughout Australia’s innings. Labuschagne and Travis Head capitalized on these opportunities effectively.

On a pitch where Indian batters struggled, a dazzling Travis Head played an aggressive knock of 140 off 141 balls, hitting 17 fours and four sixes, effectively pushing India out of the contest. Labuschagne also contributed with a steady  64 and looked in good nick when he suddenly got out against the run of play caught at gully off Reddy . India’s bowling had a solitary bright spot in Siraj, although his unnecessary aggression after dismissing Head revealed underlying frustration. Bumrah, fighting through his injury, took four wickets for 61 runs, while Siraj’s four wickets came at the cost of 98 runs.

Australia posted 337 in their first innings, gaining a lead of 157 runs after India managed only 180 in their first innings. In their second innings, India failed to show the resilience needed to fight back. KL Rahul (7) played an irresponsible attempted pull shot to throw away his wicket, an inexcusable mistake from a seasoned opener. Yashasvi Jaiswal (24) fell to a Scott Boland away going ball , while Shubman Gill (28) tried to hold the innings together but was undone by a brilliant delivery from Mitchell Starc that swung in & took the middle stump . Virat Kohli (11) once again fell to a delivery outside off stump, a recurring weakness. Rohit Sharma (6), batting in the middle order, looked completely out of place and was bowled by a great Cummins delivery . 

India now faces an uphill battle to save the Test, with Australia in a commanding position to level the series.