Saturday, December 21, 2024

Border-Gavaskar Trophy: India Struggles as Australia Dominates Day 1

The second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy between India and Australia began on Friday at the Adelaide Oval. At the end of Day 1, Australia is in a commanding position, trailing by just 94 runs in the first innings.

Indian Team Bundled Out for 180

Winning the toss, India elected to bat first but struggled against Australia’s pace attack, managing only 180 runs in their first innings. The team got off to a disastrous start when Mitchell Starc trapped Yashasvi Jaiswal LBW on the very first ball. KL Rahul and Shubman Gill tried to stabilize the innings with a 69-run partnership for the second wicket before Starc struck again in the 19th over, dismissing Rahul for 37 off 64 balls.

Kohli and Middle Order Fail

Despite his strong record in Adelaide, Virat Kohli managed only 7 runs before falling cheaply. Shubman Gill followed soon after, scoring 31 off 51 balls. Rohit Sharma, batting lower in the order, could only add 3 runs off 23 balls. Wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant contributed 21 runs, but India’s middle order struggled to build partnerships.

Mitchell Starc Shines with 6 Wickets

Ravichandran Ashwin, making a return to the playing XI, added a quick 22 off 22 balls, while all-rounder Nitish Reddy top-scored with a valiant 42 off 54 deliveries. Mitchell Starc was the star of the day, taking 6 wickets. Pat Cummins and Scott Boland chipped in with two wickets each to wrap up India’s innings.

 

Australia Off to a Solid Start

Australia began their innings cautiously, reaching 86/1 at stumps. The only wicket to fall was Usman Khawaja, who was caught by Rohit Sharma off Jasprit Bumrah for 13 runs. Nathan McSweeney (38*) and Marnus Labuschagne (20*) held their ground, putting Australia in a strong position heading into Day 2.

Australia now looks poised to build a significant lead and put India under pressure in the second Test.

RELATED ARTICLES

Most Popular