Key Moments that got Australia the 2-0 lead: Border Gavaskar Trophy 2014-15

Key Moments that got Australia the 2-0 lead: Border Gavaskar Trophy 2014-15: It is the same old story for India as they came in to bat on the day four of the second test at the Gabba of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar trophy. India resumed their innings at the overnight score of 71/1; Chetshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli walked into bat in place of Shikhar Dhawan, the reason was unclear until the BCCI clarified that Dhawan had injured his hands in nets yesterday, due to an underprepared pitch given to them. But Mitchell Johnson along with Josh Hazelwood, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon had their plan ready.

Mitchell Johnson’s morning spell again exposed the inconsistent Indian middle order and triggered yet another Indian batting collapse. At the start of the day India were at 71-1, they were in a comfortable position in the match but were bowled out for a paltry score of 224. Mitchell Starc too played an important role and kept it tight at the other end.

The Indian middle order batting line up, which was once the most reliable has become very vulnerable to quality bowling attacks in recent times. In both the innings in this match the batsmen have surrendered meekly after being in a good position.

Steven Smith debuted as the test skipper in this test match but he had very few things to worry about on day four. One cannot ask for a better dream captaincy debut, you score a hundred; your team wins the test match inside 4 days. The man who turned around the situation in favor of the Australians was none other than Mitchell Johnson. Johnson was yet to create an impact in the series and he chose the right occasion to prove his worth as the world’s leading fast bowler. The last time he played at the Gabba, he finished with the figures of 9-103 against England in the Ashes. He single-handedly won Australia the match.

The other crucial factor that played its key in Australia’s win today was the tail. Mitchell Johnson scored a brilliant half century in the first innings batting with Steven Smith. Australians were reduced to a score of 247/6 at that time. They both put together a match turning 148 runs partnership. While on the other hand Indian lower order were no match to their counterparts.

The test was an extremely entertaining, but India has to stop repeating the same mistake and avoid the habit of letting the match slip away from their hands especially in foreign condition where there is very little chance to fight back.

Key Moments of the Test match for Australia:
1. Reducing India to 408 all out on the second day from the position they were when Murali Vijay was batting.
2. The partnership between Steve Smith and Mitchell Johnson that changed the situation from advantage India to a 100+ runs lead in Australia’s favor.
3. The charged bowling spell by the Australian pace attack in the first session on day 4 to tick that panic in the Indian camp.
4. Indian fielders helped them a bit by dropping skiers and regulation catches in the slips.