Twitter Reactions: India slightly ahead after 15 wickets fall on 2nd day in Adelaide

Despite wrapping up India with great vigor and immediacy in the first session, the rest of the day belonged to the touring party.

By Pratyay Tiwari

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Ravi Ashwin and Virat Kohli
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Ravi Ashwin and Virat Kohli. (Photo by Daniel Kalisz – CA/Cricket Australia via Getty Images)

A sensationally eventful day of Test cricket unfolded on the second day of the first Test between the two sides, and despite wrapping up India with great vigour and immediacy in the first session, every adjudicator would reckon that the day belonged to the touring party. The suicidal dismissal of Virat Kohli on Day 1 had triggered a collapse that witnessed India slip from 188 for 3 to 206 for 6. The template did not change on the next day as all it took the Aussies to dismiss India was 25 balls.

Pat Cummins struck straight up as Ashwin nicked a length ball and ended his knock without adding anything to his overnight score. A similar tale unfolded for Saha, who soon fell to Starc after he tried to reach out to a wide one only to edge it to the keeper. Scripting a perfect start to the day, Starc got rid of Umesh Yadav, who tried to counterattack in his style, but to no avail. Skittled to 244 all out, India clearly missed gaining a much bigger score they were once looking set for.

Australia’s sedate start

The trailing Australians were pushed into a shell by the new-ball bowlers as they took 28 balls to get off the mark. Both Jasprit Bumrah and Umesh Yadav tested the openers – Matthew Wade and Joe Burns – by bowling in the fourth stump channel at the start. Some attacking lines coupled with a bit of umpire’s-call-luck falling India’s way, Bumrah trapped Wade (8 from 51) LBW.

Joe Burns, the other opener, soon followed after he was struck low on the pads by Bumrah’s yorker. He challenged the decision, however, the ball-tracker showed the ball to be marginally clipping the leg stump. India would have pushed Australia three down, had Bumrah, fielding at fine leg, been able to hold on to the chance that Marnus Labuschagne had given.

Ashwin runs through the middle-order

Resuming at 35 for 2 after Dinner, India was rather kind to give Labuschagne another chance as Prithvi Shaw messed up a simple chance at square leg. After some luck favouring the hosts, things changed the moment Ashwin was introduced in the attack. He struck in his first spell after Steve Smith, who laboured his way to 1 from 28, edged an under-cutter to Ajinkya Rahane at slips.

Before Australia could have come to terms with the massive jolt, Ashwin struck again, dismissing Travis Head (7 from 20) this time, who lobbed a simple caught-and-bowled chance for the spinner. Debutant Cameron Green’s 24-ball outing was then brought to an end, again by Ashwin, after skipper Virat Kohli took a brilliant catch diving to his right at midwicket. With half their side in the hut at 79, India was, by some margin, the better side in the second session.

‘Paine’ful session for Australia

Coming to deliver in the most anticipated time of a Day-Night Test: the twilight, Umesh Yadav struck twice as he first got Labuschagne trapped LBW, who missed his half-century by three; and then Pat Cummins, who failed to tackle a short ball and ended up ballooning it straight to gully, where Rahane made no mistake.

Mitchell Starc, the new man in, looked to take the attack to the opposition, whereas, from the other end, Tim Paine rode on his luck, after being dropped by Mayank Agarwal early in his innings, and completed his 50 from 68. The 27-run stand, however, came to an end after the latter failed to make his ground while trying to sneak a double.

Tim Paine, then, added 28 with Lyon for the ninth wicket, before Ashwin came and got his fourth with the latter falling to him at 10. Paine stood unbeaten at 73 as India managed to take a healthy 53-run lead in the first innings after Josh Hazlewood fell to Umesh Yadav.

India starts scratchily 

Coming to bat in the most dislikeable phase for any batsman, the Indians clearly looked to see the bowlers off. However, in the very brief passage of play, Pat Cummins managed to dissect the gap between Shaw’s bat and pad again, as he knocked him over for 4. Only three overs left in the day, Jasprit Bumrah, the night watchman, joined Mayank Agarwal as India went 9 for 1, at stumps.

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