Mitchell Starc was a menace with the pink ball and claimed a career-best six for 48 as Australia bundled out India for 180 inside two sessions of the day-night second test in Adelaide on Friday.
The hosts finished Day One on 86-1, looking on course for a first-innings lead as they seek to bounce back in the five-Test series. Opener Nathan McSweeney was batting on 38 with Marnus Labuschagne on 20 at the other end.
Earlier, armed with the brand new pink ball, Starc set the tone by dismissing Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal lbw – via a searing inswinging yorker – with the first ball of the match.
The left-arm quick let out a roar that showed how much Australia prized the wicket of the dangerous Jaiswal, who smashed a rapid 161 in the series opener in Perth and was caught on stump mic telling Starc he was bowling “too slow”.
Talking to broadcasters after the India innings, Starc said he did not really visualise Jaiswal’s dismissal. “Not so much … but nice to sneak one past,” the 34-year-old said with a smile.
Starc leads pink-ball wicket column
Starc wreaked havoc with the pink ball and now has 72 wickets in day-night tests, which is the most by any bowler. The humidity in Adelaide, however, made it difficult for him to operate at his best. “Certainly, didn’t help the engine, I got a bit crampy at the end there,” he said.
Following Jaiswal’s departure, Shubman Gill (31) – who missed the Perth Test with a thumb injury – played a couple of gorgeous drives but KL Rahul, at the other end, retreated into a defensive shell.
Retained as an opener after his patient half-century in Perth, Rahul needed 21 balls to get off the mark and got two reprieves in Scott Boland’s first over.
Boland, replacing an injured Josh Hazlewood, first had Rahul caught-behind off a no-ball and suffered more agony four balls later when Usman Khawaja spilled an edge from the batter at first slip.
The lights went out twice in quick succession at Adelaide Oval, but play has resumed. #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/u6Jtd39Utc
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 6, 2024
Kohli snared again as India stutter
Starc returned to end the 69-run stand when Rahul (37) guided the ball to McSweeney at gully, looking of two minds whether to play or leave.
In his next over, Starc dismissed Virat Kohli for seven in similar fashion with the batter, who struck a hundred in Perth, attempting to withdraw his bat when it was too late. Boland cut short Gill’s fluent knock by trapping him lbw in the penultimate over before the dinner break.
India kept losing wickets when play resumed. Rohit, who missed India’s victory in Perth and batted in the middle order, was trapped lbw for three by Boland, while Rishabh Pant (21) was done in by the extra bounce generated by Australia captain Pat Cummins.
Starc dismissed Ravichandran Ashwin for 22 and bowled Harshit Rana in the same over to complete his five-wicket haul. Nitish Kumar Reddy (42) decided to fight fire with fire and clobbered three sixes, including an audacious reverse scoop against Boland, but India fell short of the 200 mark.
McSweeney had his share of good fortune when Australia came out to bat. The opener edged Jasprit Bumrah and wicketkeeper Pant dived but could not grab the ball, which otherwise would have been a simple catch for Rohit at first slip.
Bumrah could not be denied for long though and Usman Khawaja fell for 13, edging the bowler to Rohit in the slips. Labuschagne and McSweeney treated Bumrah with caution and looked unperturbed against the other seamers.
The opening day drew more than 50,000 fans making it the fourth-highest attendance for a day of test cricket at the Adelaide Oval.
