Australia dominate the first day of the second Test against India as Mitchell Starc produces career-best bowling figures.
Mitchell Starc was a menace with the pink ball and claimed a career-best six for 48 as Australia bowled out India for 180 inside two sessions of the second day-night Test in in Adelaide on Friday.
The hosts ended Day One on 86-1, looking on course for a commanding lead as they try 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 modern pink ball, Starc set the tone by dismissing Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal lbw – through a blistering shooting yorker – with the first ball of the match.
The left-armer released a quick release that showed how much Australia valued the wicket of the dangerous Jaiswal, who smashed a quick 161 in the series opener in Perth and was caught on stump mic telling him Starc that he was bowling “too slowly”.
Speaking to broadcasters after India's innings, Starc said he didn't really see Jaiswal's break. “Not so much…
Starc leads the pink ball wicket column
Starc spoiled it with the pink ball and now has 72 wickets in day-night Tests, the most by any bowler. The humidity in Adelaide, however, made it difficult for him to work at his best. “Definitely, it didn't help the engine, I got a bit crampy at the end there,” he said.
After Jaiswal's departure, Shubman Gill (31) – who missed the Perth Test with a toe injury – played two brilliant 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 took two backs in Scott Boland's debut.
Boland, replacing the injured Josh Hazlewood, first caught Rahul behind a no-ball and suffered more misery four balls later when Usman Khawaja spilled an edge from the bat at the stumps. first time.
The lights went out twice in quick succession at Adelaide Oval, but play has resumed. #AUSWIND pic.twitter.com/u6Jtd39Utc
– cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 6, 2024
Kohli snared again as India stuttered
Starc returned to complete the 69-run stand when Rahul (37) steered the ball to McSweeney at gully, looking in two minds whether to play or leave.
In his next over, Starc dismissed Virat Kohli for seven in the same fashion as the batsman, who hit a hundred in Perth, trying to pull his bat back when it was too late. Boland cut Gill's fluent knock short by catching him lbw in the second half before dinner.
India kept losing wickets when play resumed. Rohit, who missed India's victory in Perth and was struggling in the middle order, was caught lbw for three by Boland, while Rishabh Pant (21) was allowed the extra kick Australian captain Pat Cummins created.
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 go fire with fire and three sixes were hit, including a strong return against Boland, but no India passed the 200 mark.
McSweeney had some good luck when Australia came out to bat. The opener edged Jasprit Bumrah and keeper Pant dived but couldn't get hold of the ball, which would have been a simple catch for Rohit in the first over.
Bumrah could not be denied for long though and Usman Khawaja fell for 13, handing the baton to Rohit in the slips. Labuschagne and McSweeney looked after Bumrah and looked untroubled against the other seamen.
The opening day attracted more than 50,000 fans making it the fourth highest attendance for a day of Test cricket at the Adelaide Oval.
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