Adelaide: Left-arm fast-bowler Mitchell Starc took three wickets to slow India’s charge with the bat, as the visitors made 82/4 in 23 overs at dinner break in day one’s play of the day-night Test at the Adelaide Oval on Friday.
Under overcast skies, the first session made for some dramatic and riveting cricket as Starc trapped Yashasvi Jaiswal lbw with the very first delivery of the game. After that, India were building their innings, thanks to a 69-run partnership between KL Rahul and Shubman Gill.
Australia gave Starc a recall into their bowling attack, and he struck again with his double strike removing Rahul and then Virat Kohli, before Scott Boland trapped Gill lbw, as India went from 69/1 to 81/4, with the session ending in a flip towards the hosts’.
With Rishabh Pant and Rohit Sharma, batting at number six after six years, unbeaten on four and one respectively, how the duo go about resurrecting India’s innings will be a crucial aspect for the visitors, who are currently leading the five-match series 1-0.
The morning saw India win the toss and elect to bat first, with Australia sporting black armbands in memory of Phil Hughes and Ian Redpath. Starc gave Australia a dream start by getting a down leg delivery to swing back in and trap Jaiswal lbw for a golden duck.
Gill, coming back after missing the Perth Test due to a left thumb injury, got straightaway into the act with his late slashes and gorgeous drives giving him four boundaries off Starc. Rahul showed patience outside off and looked solid in defence until he fended at Boland’s first ball and everyone thought he was caught behind for an 18-ball duck.
But replays showed Rahul earned a reprieve, as Boland overstepped his crease and the snicko showed there was no edge off the bat. Five balls later, Rahul got another reprieve as Usman Khawaja dropped his catch at slip.
From there, Rahul and Gill pounced on Australia’s mistakes to bowl more outside the off-stump and stitch a stand of 69 runs for the second wicket. Just when it seemed the session would end in India’s favour, Starc returned to enforce a dramatic turnaround in the script.
He first had Rahul fending a back of the length ball to diving gully, before forcing Kohli to be caught in two minds on whether to play or leave, and have him caught in the slips. Boland, playing in his first Test after 18 months, trapping a lazily flicking Gill plumb lbw for 31, and ensure Australia ended the session on a high by picking the last three Indian wickets for just 12 runs in 16 balls.
Brief scores: India 82/4 in 23 overs (KL Rahul 37, Shubman Gill 31; Mitchell Starc 3-31, Scott Boland 1-24) against Australia.
(IANS)
