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regular-article-logo Wednesday, 24 April 2024

Aussie quicks blow holes in vaunted line-up

Australia needed just 90 for victory, something that was almost unimaginable at the end of Day II, particularly after India ended with an overall lead of 62 with nine wickets in hand

Sayak Banerjee Published 20.12.20, 02:03 AM
Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins kept on pitching the pink Kookaburra on the off-stump and around that channel, and the batsmen kept edging them for India to fold up for an embarrassing total of 36 in their second innings

Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins kept on pitching the pink Kookaburra on the off-stump and around that channel, and the batsmen kept edging them for India to fold up for an embarrassing total of 36 in their second innings File picture

Just half an hour on Saturday morning was good enough to decide which way the first Test was going.

Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins kept on pitching the pink Kookaburra on the off-stump and around that channel, and the batsmen kept edging them for India to fold up for an embarrassing total of 36 in their second innings.

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Australia needed just 90 for victory, something that was almost unimaginable at the end of Day II, particularly after India ended with an overall lead of 62 with nine wickets in hand. It took the Aussies just 21 overs to reach the target as they won the opening Test by eight wickets to lead 1-0 in the four-match series.

Even the lights at the Adelaide Oval were yet to be fully on as Australia wrapped things up inside the second session of Day III.

One must give full credit to the Aussie quicks, especially Hazlewood and Cummins, for making superb use of the pink ball. Hazlewood, in fact, was reminiscent of Glenn McGrath in his prime, but that said, India’s batting display also underlined glaring technical frailties of this current Indian side.

An onerous task awaits the Cheteshwar Pujaras and Ajinkya Rahanes if they have to bounce back.

Vengsarkar’s advice

Former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar feels BCCI should send someone like NCA chief Rahul Dravid as a batting consultant to Australia for India’s remaining Tests of the tour.

“The BCCI now has to take a decision like sending Dravid as batting consultant to Australia. He could be of ideal help to these batsmen,” Vengsarkar told The Telegraph.

Vengsarkar cited poor footwork as the main reason behind India’s batting disaster. “In Test matches, you have to be ready to face this nagging line and length the quicks may bowl.

“In this case, I feel this collapse had a lot to do with the footwork of our batsmen, while they need to show more discipline as well,” he said.

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