Border-Gavaskar Trophy, First Test, Australia vs India – Australia won by 8 wickets
December 17-21, 2020, Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
The first Test match of a big series which India managed to win last time by 2-1 defeating Australia in Australia! The build up to the series has been electric with the visitors once again in good form in all the departments. India won the toss and opted to bat first. The toss itself was a big reason for celebration for the visitors as India did not lose a Test match with Kohli (in 25 Test matches) as captain after winning the toss. Backing the facts, India too were ahead of the Test match after the end of first two days.
At stumps on Day 2, India were 9/1 in their second innings with opener Mayank Agarwal and night watchman Jasprit Bumrah at the crease. Moreover, the lead of 53 runs which they secured in the first innings was a major boost for them heading into the Day 3 of the Test match. However, Australian bowlers especially Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins had other plans in the first session on Day 3.
Hazlewood bagged 5 wickets and Cummins bagged 4 wickets in India’s second innings as they pushed India to 36/9 under an hour on Day 3. Shami got hit on his right fore-arm (his bowling arm) off Pat Cummins’ bouncer and was declared retired hurt. As a result, India registered their lowest score in Tests – 36! Prior to this, India’s lowest Test score was 42 which was scored versus England in 1974.
With all the reputation India earned in their last tour of Australia in 2018/19 season, this had come as a complete shocker for the whole cricketing fraternity! Moreover, none of the Indian batsmen managed to get to double digits score in this second innings making it the second instance in the history of Test cricket!
Earlier in the Test match, India managed to score 244 in their first innings courtesy a half-century from Virat Kohli (74 runs) and forties each from Cheteshwar Pujara (43) and Ajinkya Rahane (42). Indian bowlers then did well to bowl out Australia for just 191 thereby securing a morale-boosting 53-run lead in the first innings. If not for Tim Paine’s unbeaten half-century (73* runs with 10 fours), Australia’s first innings score would have looked much worse! The visitors went into stumps on Day 2 with a 62-run lead and 9 wickets in hand hoping to win the Test match. However, things did take an ugly turn for them on Day 3.
Needing just 90 runs to win, Australia made a positive start to the chase with openers adding 70 runs for the first wicket and in turn they went on to win the Test match by a margin of 8 wickets. Apart from the victory, Joe Burns who returned to form with the bat was one of the biggest highlights of this Test for the home team. Burns scored an unbeaten half-century in this chase in the fourth innings – 51* off 63 deliveries with 7 fours and a six.
Australia captain Tim Paine has been adjudged as the ‘Player of the Match’ for his unbeaten half-century in Australia’s first innings and using his resources to greater effect in India’s second innings which broke the back of India’s batting. With this 8-wicket victory in this first Test match, Australia have taken a 1-0 lead in this 4-match series. The second Test match of the series will be played at the MCG in Melbourne beginning from Boxing Day.
Brief Scores: Australia – 191 all out (Tim Paine – 73*, Ravichandran Ashwin – 4/55) & 93/2 (Joe Burns – 51*, Ravichandran Ashwin – 1/16) defeated India – 244 all out (Virat Kohli – 74, Mitchell Starc – 4/53) & 36/9 (Mayank Agarwal – 9, Josh Hazlewood – 5/8) by a margin of 8 wickets
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