India’s shaky batting the difference in quick Adelaide defeat

Australia needed just 16.1 overs on the third morning of the day-night Test to complete a 10-wicket thrashing of India in Adelaide, thus squaring the five-match series at 1-1 heading to Brisbane. This crushing win for Pat Cummins’ team is a loud reminder to all who questioned their commitment following that 295-run hammering in Perth, and now leaves India searching for a way to come back at the Gabba.

The cracks have widened. In three of their four innings of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the Indian cricket team has failed to score 200. In those three innings, their highest run-getter has been the 22-year-old rookie, Nitish Reddy, with scores of 41, 42 and 42. 

Even in the home series against New Zealand, which the visitors claimed 3-0, India struggled to put up match-winning totals. Of their six innings, India registered scores of 46, 146 and 121. How long will the team persist with struggling superstars? How long will a misfiring battling lineup hide behind the bowlers, who manage to take 20 wickets each Test match? 

The first two sessions of the pink-ball game had shades of the Perth match, with India bowled out in two sessions while losing all 10 wickets to pace, and that is where the game was lost. India were bowled out for 180 on the stroke of the dinner break, and during the last session under lights at Adelaide Oval, Australia lost only the wicket of Usman Khawaja to take the day’s honours. It was going to take something superhuman for India to come back into the Test from there, but the rather flat bowling – Jasprit Bumrah excluded – allowed Marnus Labuschagne to bat out time and lay the stage for Travis Head to blaze his way to a match-deciding 140 off 141 balls. 

In both of India’s innings in Adelaide, familiar problems arose all too quickly. KL Rahul, who was given two lives in Scott Boland’s first over, appeared intent to play the anchor role but was caught surprised by one that sat up from Mitchell Starc, having faced 64 balls for his 37 run. Shubman Gill returned at number three and looked the most pleasing of the batsmen as he drove the ball with confidence, but just before the tea break, he fell over a full and swinging delivery from Boland and was ruled lbw for 3. 

Virat Kohli made just seven runs and Rohit Sharma, back in the 11 and batting in the middle order, could only manage three. India’s innings, as in Perth, ended just at the end of the second session, with the difference being a total of 180 as compared to 150. 

Unlike that last session in Perth, however, India did not find anywhere near the level of success with the ball. Bumrah managed the first wicket of the innings during his seventh over getting Khawaja to nick to the slip cordon, but that was as good as it got for the visitors. Nathan McSweeney made 38 off 97 balls and Labuschagne was 20 off 67 as Australia ended the day on 86/1. 

That swelled to a lead of 157 on day two, courtesy Labuschagne and most tellingly Head, and by the end of play India had lost five wickets under lights to trail Australia by 29 runs. They resumed on 128/5 on the third afternoon and lost their remaining five wickets for 47 runs in 12.5 overs. 

Not playing as much pink-ball cricket as Australia cannot be an excuse. When not one player in your team makes it to 50 in two innings, the batting is clearly the issue. India have familiar worries, and the words from the captain and coaches have begun to ring hollow. Changes are needed for the Brisbane Test, but unfortunately India do not appear willing to make them.