Phew! Australia won the second Test Match against India at Adelaide inside the first session on Day 3. Kangaroos achieved the fourth innings target of 19 runs without losing any wicket after India folded to 175 all out in their second innings. Call it a meek batting surrender or outstanding bowling performance from the host nation, India were not a match to Australia in the Pink Ball Test Match. From the first ball of the game where Mitchell Starc removed the Perth Hero Yashasvi Jaiswal for a duck to Usman Khwaja scoring the winning run, Australia were head and shoulders above their Indian counterparts. Check out what went wrong for the Men in Blue in India vs Australia Adelaide Test Match 2024.
So, What Went Wrong for India Against Australia at Adelaide?
After a massive 295-run victory over Australia at Perth, India were expected to tighten the grip in the 5-match Test Series. But from the time they went to the middle, things started going haywire. The pink ball was expected to do a lot more off the surface and it did. However, at the same time, it was not unplayable provided batters apply themselves early on. Indian batters didn’t do that. They tried to do too many things on a track that demanded application. Once again, they proved that when conditons get tougher to bat on, they surrender.
Australian Players Who Wreacked Havoc for India at Adelaide Test Match
Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Travis Head and Marnus Labuschangne combined to put India on to the backfoot. Here’s how each of them performed.
Micthell Starc Bamboozles Batters with Late Swing in India vs Australia Adelaide Test Match
Mitchell Starc was the top performer in India vs Australia Adelaide Test Match 2024. He was the chief destroyer for India with ball by removing Yashasvi Jaiswal on the first ball of the game and went on to pick another five wickets in the first innings. KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Nitish Reddy, Ravichandran Ashwin and Harshit Rana – They all fell to the tall Australian fast bowler. They had no answers to his hostile spell of bowling.
Marnus Labuschangne’s Gritty 64 Was a Defining Moment in India vs Australia Adelaide Test Match
Marnus Labuschagne showed nerves of steel while seeing off the tough batting conditions under lights on Day 1 and carried on the next day and scored a gritty half-century. He left the ball well and didn’t do anything fishy. While he got out just before Tea on Day 2, his resilient 64 made sure that Australia would get to India’s first innings total of 180 easily.
Travis Head’s 140 Made the REAL Difference in India vs Australia Adelaide Test Match
Travid Head came in when things got slightly tighter for Australia. Nathan McSweeney and Steve Smith fell in quick succession to leave Australia at 104 for 3 from 86 for 1 on Day 1. But from the moment he came in, things looked ominous for India as the Australian left-hander started smashing from the word go. Every Indian bowler looked clueless when bowling to Head. His 140 off 141 put Australia way ahead of India in the Test Match.
Pat Cummins Takes a 5-wicket Haul in the Fourth Innings
Pat Cummins bowled in the first innings and was rewarded with dismissals of Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah. However, in the second innings, he took a five-wicket haul. Pat Cummins dismissed KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Nitish Reddy, Ashwin and Harshit Rana to effect match figures of 5 for 57.
