Perth: On Day 4 of the first Test on Monday, Australian supporters didn't even bother traveling to the Optus Stadium because it was inevitable. India was obviously not in the mood to be very giving, and Pat Cummins and his squad were in a difficult situation that would require some work to get out of.
The home team supporters who chose to remain away were correct, as it turned out. With a swift conclusion, India achieved their third-largest Test victory away from home. The 295-run victory is only surpassed by the 304-run victory over Sri Lanka at Galle in 2017 and the 318-run victory over the West Indies at North Sound in 2019.
However, neither of those games called for the kind of comeback the team pulled off in Perth. It could be easy to forget that India was under pressure at one point because they were so dominant after being dismissed for 150 in the first innings.
Only one side in Test cricket history has won by a larger margin than India's 295 runs, even though they only scored 150 runs or fewer in their opening innings. That team is the West Indies, who defeated Australia in the 1991 Bridgetown Test with 343 runs, after only making 149 in the first innings.
India's substitute captain, Jasprit Bumrah, led the way. In the morning session, he only gave himself 3.4 overs, but he rallied and hit again when Travis Head started to show some form.
Perhaps the only bright point for the hosts was the left-hander's quick innings. He has long been a tormentor of the Indian team. However, Bumrah entered the attack, and even though the field was level and the ball getting soft, got the wicket.
Before the wicket, the ball was a bouncer that soared over Head. However, it forced him back. The following ball was slightly back of length after that. With his head still drooping, he swung his fists at it, sending the edge to the keeper. His innings of 89 off 101 balls was incredibly entertaining and might serve as a model for other Australian hitters.
Although that was Bumrah's final wicket of the encounter, he was named Player-of-the-encounter for his 8/72 total. The pacer has now claimed 40 wickets at an amazing average of 18.80 in eight games in Australia, and this is among the most motivating performances by an Indian captain.
Siraj took 3/51, while the other bowlers split the remaining wickets. And shortly after tea, that was more than plenty to complete the task.
The Australians may be able to better analyze the remaining bowlers in the future because they did attempt a few runs. Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill's return should help the batting, but India might not want to make many bowling changes.
With the second Test in Adelaide beginning just on December 6, Australia will have plenty of time to reflect. But for the time being, Cummins doesn't want to worry too much. Bumrah would also like his teammates to maintain composure and concentration.
"You have to start over from the beginning, but you may take the confidence from here. This confidence must be strengthened, and you must also learn from this game. We can learn from this game," Bumrah stated.
On November 30, India will travel to Canberra for a two-day, day-and-night tour match. There will be a good deal of interest on the batting front, but many of the best bowlers may choose to skip that one.
0 Comments