Adelaide [Australia]: Skipper Pat Cummins reflected on Australia's massive 10-wicket victory over India in the Adelaide Test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy and said that it was a "great week" for the hosts.
India's inconsistent pink-ball Test record continued as Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins demolished a helpless Indian batting attack, helping the side secure a morale-boosting, series-levelling 10-wicket win after a massive 295-run loss at Perth in the first Test. With this, the series is level 1-1.
Speaking after the match, Cummins said that the team performed way better in the second Test than what they showcased in the Adelaide Test. The skipper showered praise on Aussie pacer Mitchell Starc and said that he has done it for over a decade now.
Cummins also hailed Scott Boland and said that he fitted in straightaway in the playing eleven. He also hoped Josh Hazlewood would be back to the squad in the next week.
"That's a great week. We were far from the team we want to be in Perth but this was good. Good to get a few wickets. [On Starc] He is amazing. He has done it for over a decade. So I feel very lucky and privileged. [On Head] He loves batting here. The game could have gone either way when Head went out to bat but he shifted the momentum. [On Boland] Scotty just fitted in straightaway, like he always does. He probes with every ball, top of off. Hopefully, Josh is back next week. But even then Scotty is unbelievable," Cummins was quoted by ESPNcricinfo as saying.
Recapping the match, India won the toss and opted to bat first. However, they had to face the wrath of a moving, erratic pink ball and its mastermind, Mitchell Starc (6/48). Except for a 69-run stand for the second wicket between KL Rahul (37 in 64 balls with six fours) and Shubman Gill (31 in 51 balls, with five fours) and a fighting 42 in 54 balls (three fours and three sixes) from Nitish Kumar Reddy, there was not much highlights from India who were skittled out for 180 runs. Skipper Cummins and Scott Boland also took two wickets.
In the first innings, a 67-run partnership between Nathan McSweeney (39 in 109 balls, with six fours) and Marnus Labuschagne (64 in 126 balls, with nine fours) for second wicket set the platform for Travis Head to impose his domination over Indian bowlers yet again with a counter-attacking 140 in 141 balls, with 17 fours and four sixes, just when Aussies lost some regular wickets. His century took Australia to 337 runs and gave them a 157-run lead.
Jasprit Bumrah (4/61) and Mohammed Siraj (4/98) were top bowlers for India. Ravichandran and Nitish got a wicket each.
In their second innings, India appeared even more toothless as the star-studded top-order and middle-order returned back to pavillion despite starts from Jaiswal (24 in 31 balls, with four boundaries), Gill (28 in 30 balls, with three fours) while KL Rahul (7) and Virat Kohli (11 in 21 balls with a four) failed to score well. India ended day two at 128/5.
On the third day, Pant also lost his wicket for 28 in 31 balls, with five fours. From there on, it was not looking back for the Aussies, who skittled out India for 175 runs in 36.5 overs. India lead by just 18 runs, setting Aussies 19 runs to win.
Skipper Cummins (5/67) took a majestic five-wicket haul, his eighth as a captain. Boland took 3/51 while Starc took 2/60.
Set a target of 19 runs, Khawaja (10*) and McSweeney (9*) chased it down without breaking a sweat in 3.2 overs. (ANI)