A wounded Australia roared back into the five-test series against India with a 10-wicket victory at their happy hunting ground in Adelaide on Sunday that saw them reclaim the lead in the World Test Championship (WTC) standings.
The hosts had crumbled to a comprehensive defeat by a depleted Indian side in the series opener in Perth that dented the pride of the reigning WTC champions.
However, led by their inspirational captain Pat Cummins, Australia steamrolled a full-strength India, reinforced by the return of their captain Rohit Sharma and batter Shubman Gill, in a little over two days to level the series at 1-1.
Mitchell Starc menaced with the pink ball and broke India’s back with his first innings 6-48 at the venue, where Australia now have a perfect 8-0 record in day-night tests.
His victims included Perth centurions Yashasvi Jaiswal and Virat Kohli.
Cummins led by example in the second innings, claiming 5-57 and scything through the lower order, but it was India nemesis Travis Head’s nearly run-a-ball 140 which proved decisive.
Head had smashed match-winning hundreds against India in the finals of the WTC and the 50-overs World Cup last year, and it was the familiar sight of the left-hander bashing the Indian bowlers once again.
“Again, one of those momentum shifts,” Cummins said in his assessment of Head’s knock at the batter’s home ground.
“The game could have gone either way when he walked out to bat and he just took it straight out of their hands.”
Australia will also be pleased with how opener Nathan McSweeney batted in only his second test, especially his battling 39 in the first innings.
Number three Marnus Labuschagne also showed signs of regaining form with a patient 64.
After taking flak from the loss in Perth, Australia’s dominant victory in Adelaide will considerably brighten the mood in the home camp before they head to Brisbane for the third test beginning on Dec 14.
“Last week, we lost a test match and we were apparently the worst test team ever,” said Labuschagne.
“This week, we’ve finished on day three with the series at 1-1, so we know how we’re going in there.”
Run Drought
The tourists’ chastening defeat in Adelaide will puncture the euphoria that had prevailed in the Indian camp after Perth.
Rohit’s run drought shows no signs of ending, even after he dropped down to the middle order where he scored three and six.
The India captain now has just one half-century and eight single-digit scores, including a duck against New Zealand in Pune, in his last 12 test innings.
It was a batting capitulation by India in Adelaide, lasting a mere 81 overs over two innings with none of their batters managing a half-century.
In the absence of Mohammed Shami, who is playing domestic cricket in India after recovering from an ankle injury but is not considered test-fit yet, India’s bowling appeared too reliant on the genius of Jasprit Bumrah.
India will be tempted to switch Rohit and opener KL Rahul in the batting order in Brisbane.
“We’re quite looking forward to it,” Rohit said of the third test.
“We just want to go out there and think about what we did right in Perth, and also what we did last time when we were here.”
