Australia ended Day 1 in a strong position against India in the second Test at the Adelaide Oval on Friday. At stumps, Australia was at 86 for one with Nathan McSweeney unbeaten on 38 runs and Marnus Labuschagne not out on 20 runs.
The third session of the day began with Australian openers Usman Khawaja and McSweeney starting the innings. Their partnership reached 24 runs before Khawaja was dismissed by right-arm seamer Jasprit Bumrah in the 11th over. Khawaja scored 13 runs off 35 balls and hit two boundaries.
After Khawaja's departure, Marnus Labuschagne joined McSweeney on the field. The Australian duo managed to bring up the 50-run mark in the 21st over when McSweeney struck a boundary off Mohammed Siraj. Their 50-run partnership was completed in the 26th over with McSweeney smashing a boundary off Harshit Rana.
IND vs AUS, 2nd Test, Day 1 Highlights:
For India, Bumrah managed to secure one wicket, conceding just 13 runs in his 11 overs. He bowled four maiden overs.
Earlier in the second session, India started at 81 for four with Rishabh Pant on four runs and Rohit Sharma on one run. Rohit struggled against the Australian bowlers and was trapped leg-before by Scott Boland for just three runs from 23 balls. India then reached 87 for five after Pant was joined by Nitish Kumar Reddy. Nitish contributed to the team with aggressive batting, reaching the 100-run mark for India in 30.4 overs with a strong boundary towards mid-off.
However, Pant was dismissed by Australia’s captain Pat Cummins in the 33rd over. Pant managed 21 runs from 35 balls before being caught at wide gully by Labuschagne. Ravichandran Ashwin then attempted to provide stability but was trapped lbw by Starc for 22 runs from 22 balls.
Mitchell Starc continued his impressive performance by taking six wickets in the match. He completed his five-wicket haul by dismissing Harshit Rana. Nitish Kumar Reddy remained the highlight for India, smashing two sixes and a four off Boland, forcing Boland to bowl two no-balls.
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India ultimately finished their innings at 180 runs after 44.1 overs. Starc's performance was notable as it marked his first five-wicket haul against India in Tests and his fourth such haul in day-and-night matches. Cummins and Boland each contributed with two crucial wickets.
India’s early struggles began when Yashasvi Jaiswal was trapped leg-before on the first ball of the match. Shubman Gill and KL Rahul tried to steady the innings but faced a tough bowling attack. Rahul managed six fours before being dismissed by Starc. Gill, too, looked promising but was caught lbw by Boland for 31 runs.
India’s batting performance saw multiple setbacks as Virat Kohli, too, was dismissed early in the game. Despite early resistance, India struggled to build stable partnerships and ultimately fell short with a total of 180 runs.
Brief Scores:
- India: 180 runs (Nitish Kumar Reddy 42 runs, KL Rahul 37 runs, Mitchell Starc 6/48)
- Australia: 86/1 (Nathan McSweeney 38*, Marnus Labuschagne 20*, Jasprit Bumrah 1/13)
