Welcome back to the Away Cricket!! Captain changed has probably not helped. On an Australian pitch where grounds are also bigger, Indian team follows a 4 bowler formula. Karn Sharma got his debut and then the prize wicket of Warner too. Good for him, but by then Warner has already showed India what is in store during the remaining tour. His 10th century, a tribute to Phillip Hughes was a devastating knock by test standards. Still, gaining quick 3 wickets to end the day would be some relieve for Indians.
Adelaide ideally supports batsmen. So hopefully, Kohli and co can also show some good stay with bat on crease even if they cannot match the 4+ run rate of Aussies that has helped them finish the day at 354 runs.
Losing 3 wickets in the last 10 overs reduced the run rate. But with Steven Smith unbeaten on 72 runs and Clarke (60 runs retired) to come again to bat, Aussies could expect a total above 500 runs, enough to put pressure on the 32nd Test captain of India.
In the last series, Kohli had a century and India played comparatively better even in a loss. The decision to field four bowlers will certainly help as it has played a crucial role in letting the Aussies run amok.
Starting the day with winning the toss and electing to bat, Aussies started in ODI mode scoring 50 runs by 8th over. But, Ishant Sharma struck as Dhawan took a sharp catch to dismiss Rogers who has scored only 9 runs by then. Shane Watson (14) continued his struggle in test matches and another great catch by Dhawan at slip saw Aaron getting India the second wicket. But opener David Warner was playing in a different mode altogether. Clarke retired after scoring 60 runs, but in the company of Smith, Warner continued dismissing the Indian bowlers.
Finally, Karn Sharma making his debut earned Warner’s wicket caught by Ishant Sharma. Warner scored 145 runs in 163 balls with 19 boundaries. He added 118 runs with Clarke and then another 52 runs with Smith. The third wicket fell on 258 runs . Smith took over the rein from Warner and in the company of Mitch Marsh (41 runs) added 87 runs for the 4th wicket.
India took the new ball and it resulted in 3 quick wickets. Marsh became Aaron’s second victim, while in the last two overs of the day Shami sent back night watchman Lyon (3) and then Brad Haddin on a duck.
In the end, Australia reached 354/6. Among Indian bowlers Karn Sharma bowled the maximum 23 overs with 1/89. Ishant Sharma bowled 20 overs with 1/56 and being the most effective. Mohammed Shami opened the bowling and returned the figure of 83/2 in 17.2 overs. Aaron started from the other end and was the most expensive with 95/2 in 17 overs. Murali Vijay who came to give rest to the main four bowlers was the most conservative though giving 27/0 in 12 overs.
Aus XI: Clarke (Captain), Chris Rogers, Warner, Watson, Steven Smith, Mitch Marsh, Brad Haddin, Lyon, Siddle, Johnson, Ryan Harris
Ind XI: Kohli (Captain), S Dhawan, M Vijay, CA Pujara, AM Rahane, RG Sharma, WP Saha†, KV Sharma, Mohammed Shami, I Sharma, VR Aaron
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