Australia 86 for 1 (McSweeney 38*, Labuschagne 20*, Bumrah1-13) trail India 180 (Reddy 42, Rahul 37 Starc 6-48, Cummins 2-41) by 94 runs
Mitchell Starc‘s sizzling spell with the pink ball headlined the opening day of the day-night Test in Adelaide as Australia responded to their
295-run drubbing in Perth by dismissing India for 180. Jasprit Bumrah then got rid of Usman Khawaja in the twilight but the under-pressure
Marnus Labuschagne and rookie opener
Nathan McSweeney navigated a tricky passage of play to guide Australia to stumps without any further damage. Their unbroken 62-run partnership helped Australia cut their deficit to under 100 and ensured that the first day in Adelaide belonged to them.
The first ball from Starc was a portent for what was to follow. He struck in the first over of each of his three spells, asserting his supremacy in pink-ball Tests. He came away with career-best Test figures of 6 for 48, which extended his
pink-ball tally in Australia to 72. It is twice as many as Pat Cummins (36) has taken and 29 more than what Nathan Lyon, Starc’s closest contender in pink-ball Test cricket in the country, has managed.
It all started with that first ball to Yashasvi Jaiswal, who had
told Starc that he was “coming on too slow” in Perth. On Friday in Adelaide, Starc let rip a full, fast inswinger that swerved late and thudded into his front pad. It was so plumb that Jaiswal didn’t even bother to review. Starc roared at the departing Jaiswal and had over 36,000 spectators – the biggest crowd for an India-Australia Test in Adelaide – roaring with him.
Shubman Gill, who returned to India’s Test XI after missing the Perth Test with a
hand injury, and KL Rahul then briefly settled India’s innings with a 69-run stand for the second wicket. Gill showed little signs of rust and laid into drives whenever Australia’s quicks veered away from their lengths and the stumps.
At the other end, Rahul was more circumspect, playing out Cummins for three maidens. He then lost his patience and fended at Scott Boland’s first ball, which reared up to threaten the shoulder of his bat. Rahul walked off, thinking he had nicked it behind but a front-foot no-ball from Boland earned him a reprieve. There was nothing on the Snicko either. Five balls later, Boland hit Rahul’s outside edge but Khawaja grassed the chance at first slip.
Rahul’s luck, however, ran out when Starc returned for his second spell and struck with his fourth ball. He extracted extra bounce and had Rahul edging it to gully for 37 off 64 balls. In his next over, Starc took out Virat Kohli for seven off eight balls with a similar prancing delivery.
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