India Vs Australia, 2nd Test Day 3 Highlights: AUS Chase Down Target In 3.2 Overs To Level Series 1-1

Well then, two done, and three chapters remain in this highly anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024/25. Australia, with this win, has found that equalizer and this series now hangs right in balance. India, on the other hand, would like to go on the drawing board and assess where things went completely wrong for them in Adelaide. But now, no long rest days for both sides, as the next three Tests will be played back-to-back within a month or so. Both teams have historically displayed remarkable comebacks and this time, it is no different either. India aims a bounceback while Australia would like to continue this winning momentum. The caravan now heads towards Brisbane, where the iconic Gabba will host the third Test. It begins on Saturday, December 14 with the first ball scheduled to be bowled at 11.30 pm GMT, the previous day. Till then, cheers, and goodbye!

Pat Cummins, the skipper of Australia says that it has been a great week and they knew they were far away from the team they want to be in Perth. Adds that he wasn’t too unhappy with his bowling in Perth and goes on to applaud Mitchell Starc for doing it time and time again for about a decade. On Travis Head, Cummins says that he loves batting here and you could sense it the moment he walked out to bat. Reckons that the first-innings lead was crucial and that helped put pressure on with the ball under lights. Goes on to then applaud Scott Boland for filling in and hopes that Josh Hazlewood is back for the next game.

Rohit Sharma says it has been a disappointing week for them as a team. he appreciates the Australian team and states that they played better cricket.

Travis Head is the PLAYER OF THE MATCH. He starts by saying that it feels nice to get runs again and mentions that it is just another game and it is a tight Test series. Adds that it was a good team performance and nothing was a guarantee and says that he was given the confidence to see the game and play it the way he wanted. Reckons that they picked their moments well and it feels good to do well in front of the home crowd.

The Presentation Ceremony…

Silver linings emerged for India despite the loss. While Bumrah maintained his stellar form, the resurgence of Mohammed Siraj was perhaps the bowling unit’s small win – a timely return to rhythm that could prove crucial in the series ahead for India. Though the batting lineup largely faltered, two men stood tall and showed some fight. The ever-adventurous Rishabh Pant and the promising Nitish Kumar Reddy. Young Reddy’s gritty display with both bat and ball may have just locked down that coveted all-rounder spot in the lower order.

So, what went wrong for India in this Pink Ball Test? The tourists batted for over 180 overs collectively in Perth, versus just 81 overs in this Test, and failed to cross the 200-run mark. Their batting collapses have been a headache for quite some time now, following that series against New Zealand at home. For Australia, after an underwhelming bowling display in Perth, the pacers came out all guns blazing and scorching to blow away the opposition. Starc’s 6-fer and Cummins’ 5-fer in Adelaide, with Boland’s brilliance added to Australia’s success. But what stood out was a swashbuckling century from Travis Head that took the game way away from India’s clutches.

Cut to Day 3, Pat Cummins didn’t take long enough to run through the Indian lower order. While Pant fell victim to Starc pretty early in the day, Cummins did the clean-up work employing a barrage of short balls which proved highly effective. Although Nitish Kumar Reddy showed some grit towards the backend, it was just too little and too late by that time. But, he did emerge as the leading run-scorer for India, mirroring a quickfire 42 in both innings. Australia had a tiny formality to chase 19 runs and did that without any damage to level the series by 1-1.

However, once Head got out, it triggered a staggering collapse where Australia was reduced to 310/6 to 337 all out. For India, Jasprit Bumrah dismantled the top order effectively, while Mohammed Siraj bowled his heart out, and rolled through the tail of Australia, finally striking through by dismissing Head off a venomous yorker and both of them claimed 4 wickets apiece. Coming to bat, India had a challenging lead of 157 in front of them, but their batting collapse yet again resurfaced as the visitors found themselves badly reeling at 86-4 with the big guns back in the sheds. Pat Cummins and Scott Boland were the architects of this collapse who claimed two each. By the end of the second day, India was effectively reduced to 128/5 with only Pant battling it out alone.

Australia’s initial response was cautious with the bat, especially during the challenging twilight period. They scored at a snail’s pace initially, but the opening pair of Nathan McSweeney and Usman Khawaja showed resistance until Jasprit Bumrah struck late in the day. Australia resumed Day 2 strongly with Marnus Labuschagne and McSweeney building a solid second-wicket partnership. However, Bumrah’s reintroduction brought quick success for India with a couple of breakthroughs. The game’s complexion changed dramatically with Travis Head’s arrival. The left-hander launched an aggressive counter-attack, racing to a run-a-ball 140. His fearless approach disrupted bowlers’ rhythms and toyed around the field, putting India under significant pressure. Head’s dominance ensured Australia seized control of the match by taking a decent lead as well.

Now, let’s take a quick recap of how things panned out throughout this Test. India’s decision to bat first in the Pink Ball Test backfired as they struggled against Australia’s pace attack. Despite promising starts from KL Rahul and Shubman Gill, the batting lineup couldn’t capitalize. The highlight was a crucial partnership between Nitish Reddy who impressed with 42 and Ravichandran Ashwin, which helped India reach 180. Mitchell Starc was the wrecker-in-chief, claiming 6 wickets and maintaining his excellent record with the pink ball. Pat Cummins and Scott Boland supported well with two wickets each.

171.5 overs, and 7 sessions! This is all what it took to get the result in this Pink Ball Test at Adelaide.

3.2 – That’s it, Australia have leveled the series! Mohammed Siraj bangs it in short over middle and gets it in at a good height but Usman Khawaja picks up the length early and gets on top of the bounce to pull it away just in front of square leg for a single and what a comeback victory this has been from the hosts. AUSTRALIA WIN BY 10 WICKETS!

Batsman_1 : Usman Khawaja 9(8)

Batsman_2 : Nathan McSweeney 10(12)

Bowler : Mohammed Siraj 0/9(1.2)

Over : 3.2

Run : 1

Wicket : 0

Score : 19/0

3.1 – Floated up full and on the fifth stump line, Usman Khawaja leaves this one alone.

2.6 – FOUR! Smashed away by Nathan McSweeney and scores are now level! Short and wide outside off, McSweeney latches onto the width and slaps it through the point region for a boundary.

Batsman_1 : Nathan McSweeney 10(12)

Batsman_2 : Usman Khawaja 8(6)

Bowler : Nitish Kumar Reddy 0/8(1)

Over : 3

Run : 8

Wicket : 0

Score : 18/0

2.5 – No run.

2.4 – A gentle outswinger, bowled full and outside off, McSweeney watches it well and leaves it alone.

2.3 – Lovely comeback delivery from Reddy! Nagging length, on a tighter line around off and swinging away, McSweeney is suckered into the drive but the ball whizzes past the outside edge.

2.2 – FOUR! Lovely bit of timing there from McSweeney! Full and outside off, swinging away, McSweeney gets onto the front foot and caresses it through the cover region for a boundary.

2.1 – Reddy comes into the attack now and pitches the ball up on off and middle, McSweeney gets on the front foot and drives it straight to mid off.

1.6 – Two more and Australia now require just 9 runs for the win. Not all that full and on off, Usman Khawaja gets forward and gives it a half-push, getting it past mid off for a couple of runs more.

1.5 – Good length around off, angling it across the left-hander, left alone by Khawaja.

1.4 – FOUR! That’s rocketed to the fence! Full and straight, a bit too straight from Siraj, Usman Khawaja walks inside the line of the ball and whips it off the legs through square leg for a boundary.

1.3 – Perfect length on off and middle, just nibbling back into the left-hander, Khawaja stays put and keeps it out.

1.2 – 2 runs.

1.1 – A bit of a loosener to begin with, full and wide outside the off stump at just a shade under 130 clicks, Usman Khawaja leaves it alone.

Mohammed Siraj to share the attack.

0.6 – Nice and full again, wide of the off stump, McSweeney opts to leave this one alone and Australia are 2/0 after the first over.

Batsman_1 : Nathan McSweeney 2(6)

Batsman_2 : Usman Khawaja 0(0)

Bowler : Jasprit Bumrah 0/2(1)

Over : 1

Run : 2

Wicket : 0

Score : 2/0

0.5 – McSweeney is off the mark and so are Australia! Bumrah goes wide of the crease and looks for the big inswinger but McSweeney gets nicely forward and drives it through covers for a couple of runs.

0.4 – Ooh, nicely bowled!

0.2 – At 125 clicks now, relatively full and aimed in towards off and middle stump, McSweeney gets nicely forward and blocks it off.

0.1 – Just a hint of swing there! Bumrah begins with a gentle-paced delivery, at just 121 clicks, bowling it full and around off, swinging it away. Nathan McSweeney looks to drive but opts to leave it alone.

0.3 – Bumrah straightens the line and darts it in towards middle and leg, McSweeney uses his wrists to tuck it into the leg side.

Welcome back to the chase!

… FOURTH INNINGS …

Pat Cummins says that he felt good out there and is happy to get things done early this morning. Adds that the defeat in Perth for a bit overblown and everything seems to be going great and mentions that they love this venue and the crowd has been brilliant and it’s been a couple of amazing days.

For Australia, it was a complete bowling display this time around. This time, it was the skipper Pat Cummins who was the destructor in chief. He employed the short ball ploy to perfection and garnered five wickets to his name, while Scott Boland snagged three and Mitchell Starc claimed two to his name. Australia used just three pacers and the Indians were bundled up within a couple of sessions after coming to bat.

With the big guns silenced – Rohit, Gill, Kohli, and Jaiswal all back in the pavilion – it fell to the daring Rishabh Pant to keep India afloat. Though he unleashed some trademark fireworks to chip away at the deficit, day three brought fresh trouble as Starc struck early to remove him. From there, it became a simple battle for survival, with India desperately trying to hang on at the crease. Nitish Kumar Reddy though, held onto his end and entertained the crowd for his stay of 42 runs and helped to clear the deficit. Nitish stood as the highest run-scorer for India in both innings, while the others couldn’t even cross their 30s.

Well then, it’s heading towards the conclusion way earlier than anticipated, isn’t it?

180 in the first innings, and 175 in the second. A very disappointing stint for the Indian batters, to say the least. No batter could really get going against this much-improved Australian pace trio. India’s batting turned into a nightmare from the get-go as KL Rahul fell early to Cummins’ precision. While Jaiswal and Gill tried to weather the storm, Boland’s entrance changed everything. He ripped through the batting lineup, claiming Kohli among his victims, as India crumbled to 86/4 in a blink. The bouncy track had India’s finest batters dancing to Australia’s tune.