 | « Back to article | Print this article |
India did not respect the match situation, the playing conditions, and the bowlers, and they've paid a price for it.
In a day-night game in Adelaide, the third session of play is arguably the hardest for batsmen, thanks to a combination of first the creeping twilight, and then the lights being switched on, both assisting movement for the new pink ball.
The story of the state of play at the end of day two is best told through two contrasts.
Last evening, Australia faced the prospect of having to play more than 30 overs in the final session.
They lost one opener, Usman Khawaja, early -- but Nathan McSweeney, playing just his second Test, and Marnus Labuschagne, so woefully short of form that his place was in question, hung in there, gritted it out against probing spells by Bumrah and Siraj, and ensured that the home side closed with just one wicket down.
This meant that Australia had wickets in hand and were well placed to take advantage of good batting conditions in the morning and afternoon sessions.
Against that, India went into its second innings in the third session, having to play a maximum of 30 overs -- and while they scored at a rate in excess of five runs an over, and produced some scintillant shots, none of the batsmen on view really put their heads down with a view to seeing off the tricky post-tea session without too much damage.
The upshot: India has, in the space of just 24 overs, lost five wickets.
It is still 29 runs in deficit, and has only Rishabh Pant and Nitish Kumar Reddy, followed by Ashwin, to wipe off the deficit and put up enough of a lead to give their bowlers a chance.
The highlights of the Australian first innings included the return to form of Marnus Labuschagne who, after fighting hard for touch and timing last evening, came back into a semblance of his best self during the morning session; the counter-punching run-a-ball century by Travis Head who reduced even Bumrah and Siraj to a state of near helplessness; and the fact that the Aussies batted in partnerships -- 67 for the second wicket, 65 for the fourth; 40 for the fifth; and 74 for the sixth.
For India, Bumrah and Siraj bowled their hearts out, but Harshit Rana had an off day at the worst possible time.
The upshot was that once Bumrah and Siraj were done, there was no one to maintain pressure on the batsmen.
Also worth noting is that the Indians had to bowl 87 overs at the Aussies, with Bumrah and Siraj bowling 23 and 24.3 overs respectively.
With very little interval between Tests two and three, this will make for leg weary strike bowlers.
In the Indian innings, outside the unrestrained ebullience of Pant and the sheer class of Gill during the latter's short stay at the wicket, there wasn't much of note.
KL Rahul, whose defense was so crucial in the first Test, blotted his copybook with a hook shot he was in no position to play; Kohli -- again having to bat without the cushion of runs on the board -- fell to his increasing vulnerability in the channel around off stump; Jaiswal seemed determined to bat in his usual free-flowing style regardless of the match situation...
India did not respect the match situation, the playing conditions, and the bowlers, and they've paid a price for it -- in all probability, that price will be the loss of this Test, and with it the loss of an opportunity to go 2-0 up and really put the screws on the home side.
Prem Panicker discusses all the action from the second day of the Adelaide Test with Hemant Waje.
Rediff.com's Production Team: Hitesh Harisinghani, Rajesh Karkera, Manisha Kotian, Satish Bodas.
Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani