The ongoing India Tour of Australia began with a bang, with India clinching the first Test easily to take a 1-0 lead in the series. Teams have started their preparations for the second Test (Day-Night), which will start on December 6th in Adelaide.
Hosts Australia got the reality check upfront in the 5-match Test series, going down pretty straightforwardly at the Optus Stadium, Perth by a whopping margin of 295 runs. Their batting put them down in the entire Test, where they got all out for meager scores of 104 and 238.
The energy they had in the first two sessions of the opening day’s play, never got back in the remainder of the Test, be it with the bat or ball. They struggled entirely to be consistent and as a result, got outplayed in all areas. Barring Travis Head’s fluent 89-run knock in the 4th innings, they hardly showed intent facing the ruthless Indian bowling unit.
Coming from a disastrous 3-0 defeat at home at the hands of Kiwis, the resilient India dominated the India vs Australia 1st Test to record their first win at the Optus Stadium and became the only team to beat Australia at the venue. The tactical brilliance of underfire coach Gautam Gambhir was spot on as he made key moves, handing Test debuts to all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy and seamer Harshit Rana. Even the inclusion of Washington Sundar, ahead of prolific all-rounders Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja came out of the box.
Special credits to stand-in skipper Jasprit Bumrah, who marshaled the troops in the company of Virat Kohli. The former was adjudged the Player of the Match for his match figures of 8 for 72.
India vs Australia contests in any format serve as a treat for the fans as the rivalry between the teams is close to that of the Ashes.
India vs Australia, 2nd Test Predicted XI, Form Guide and Analysis:
Australia Predicted XI:
Usman Khawaja, Nathan McSweeney, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh / Beau Webster, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.
Recent Form: Lost, Won, Won, Lost, Won
Not the usual sight for the Aussies to get beaten first up in the Test matches down under and it will be interesting how they respond going forward in the India vs Australia 5-matches Test series.
Australia had the home comfort and the conditions of the fast and bouncy Perth wicket were exactly tailor-made for them to go 1-0 up, however, their strategy backfired leading to a disappointing loss. Most of the batters were playing in a shell, including Marnus Labuschagne, Usman Khawaja, Steven Smith, and newcomer Nathan McSweeney. Travis Head’s counter-attacking 89 runs in the final innings was the only positive with the bat in the entire Test.
Now they travel to Adelaide for the 2nd Test which will be played in Pink ball. Australia boosts an overwhelming 11-1 win-loss record in the Pink ball and wouldn’t get a better stage to get back in the reckoning and level the series 1-1. Their only loss in Pink ball came against West Indies earlier this year at Gabba, where they fell short by a mere 8 runs.
They have fond memories against India at Adelaide in their previous Pink ball affair, where they bundled out Virat Kohli and company for just 36 runs in the 3rd innings, and went on to claim the Test by 8 wickets.
Chief selector, George Bailey has named Beau Webster as a cover for Mitchell Marsh, who is having fitness concerns.
India Predicted XI:
Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), KL Rahul, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.
Recent form: Won, Lost, Lost, Lost, Won
This is how you shut the mouth of the naysayers, who downgraded India following their horrific 3-0 loss at home against New Zealand. Everyone around the world voted India to go down at Perth in the 1st Test, but Jasprit Bumrah and co had other thoughts and it took them less than 4 days to complete a miraculous 295-run victory over the Australians.
Jasprit Bumrah’s fearless approach helped India to bundle out the hosts cheaply for 104 in the 1st innings. The speedster wreaked havoc with a 5-fer that allowed the visitors to take a vital 46-run lead. Centuries from Yashasvi Jaiswal (161) and Virat Kohli (100*), and a well-adapted knock of 77 from KL Rahul were the cynosure in racking up 487 for 6 in the 2nd innings. All the bowlers chipped in with wickets in the 4th innings to limit the Aussies to 238. This victory will go down as one of the best away Test victories in India’s cricketing history.
They have to make a couple of changes to their starting eleven for the 2nd Test to accommodate incoming skipper Rohit Sharma and dynamic batter Shubman Gill. This means Devdutt Padikkal and Dhruv Jurel have to make a way for the duo. KL Rahul, who made a statement with crucial knocks of 26 and 77 in the 1st Test, is likely to be slotted down to the middle order.
Pitch Report for India vs Australia, 2nd Test:
The batters will have to be a little cautious while facing the pink ball, especially at the Adelaide track as it comes a little quicker to the bat as compared to the red ball. The surface is conducive for the quicks and at the same time, the batters can play long if they have a solid approach. The venue has produced results in the last 11 Test matches and we can expect the same in the India vs Australia Test match which starts on December 6th.
Who won the most Test matches between India and Australia?
To date, India and Australia have played against each other in 108 Test matches, with the latter having a better edge with 45 wins, while the former has won 33.
India vs Australia, 2nd Test Betting Tips:
Top Run-Scorer:
Virat Kohli has a love affair with Adelaide Oval which started back in 2011/12, where he made a century on his first outing. In his overall 4 Tests at the venue, he accounted for 509 runs at an average of 63.62, which includes 3 centuries and a half-century.
He found form at the right moment, scoring an unbeaten century (100*) in the 2nd innings of the 1st Test at Perth. He is likely to score more runs in the upcoming India vs Australia Test.
Top wicket-taker:
Nathan Lyon is at the final stages of his illustrious career and has done a remarkable job for Australia over the last 13 years. Bowling mostly on his seam-friendly surfaces in Australia, the off-spinner has bagged 532 wickets in 130 Tests with the best figures of 8 for 50 in an innings. Notably, he has taken the most wickets at the Adelaide Oval with 63 scalps in 13 Tests at an average of 25.26. He is expected to get the most wickets in the upcoming India vs Australia 2nd Test.
India are on top of the moon currently, following a dream win in the 1st Test, while Australia has plenty of things to address heading into the 2nd Test. India Tour of Australia 2024-25 has garnered significant interest from cricketing lovers all over the world and exciting matches await over the next 30 days.
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