A late-night flurry of wickets with the second new ball has helped Australia regain a foothold in the first Test as India compiled 6-233 on an enthralling day one at Adelaide Oval.
India crawled towards a competitive total on a day where scoring was a chore, with a slow outfield and tricky pitch making for a slow run rate of 2.61.
Indian captain Virat Kohli (74) had batted with supreme levels of discipline and restraint to help India compile a credible score over the course of an attritional day of cricket.
However, his run out, followed by the taking of the second new ball under lights, helped Australia wrest back control of the contest.
Australia’s early dominance countered by Indian resilience
It took just two balls for Mitchell Starc (2-49) to earn Australia’s first wicket, catching the inside edge of 21-year-old opener Prithvi Shaw to have him bowled for a duck.
Pat Cummins (1-42) got in on the act shortly afterwards, bowling Mayank Agawal (17) with a beauty that initially shaped away before cutting in to clip the top of off stump.
From that point on though, it was all India, as Cheteshwar Pujara (43 from 160 balls) set about compiling a typically dogged innings built off his solid defence.
Pujara and Kohli combined for a 68-run, 189-ball partnership that sapped the energy and enthusiasm out of Australia’s bowlers after Australia took two early wickets.
Starc, Josh Hazlewood (1-47) and Cummins all struggled to find the answers to India’s stone-walling tactics — and failed to formulate an effective plan against the watchful and patient Kohli.
The only bowler who seemed to trouble Pujara was Nathan Lyon (1-68), who was rewarded with the Indian number three’s prized scalp, caught behind by leg slip Marnus Labuschagne.
That’s not to say chances did not come the way of Australia’s seamers.
Pujara and Kohli edged behind a number of times, only to see the ball repeatedly fall short of a slip cordon that stood too deep for what was a sluggish pitch.
Lyon though was the pick of the bowlers, frequently threatening both sides of the bat across 21 dangerous overs of off spin.
But even chances he created more often fell short than into the palms of the close fielders — while Tim Paine missed a chance at having Kohli caught behind from a feather off his glove.
Brilliant Kohli leads India
While Pujara went about his usual steady accumulation of runs, Kohli also opted for the steady approach.
Kohli parked his natural exuberance to craft a gritty 74 from 180 balls — his 23rd Test fifty —and never looked like surrendering his wicket, before he was catastrophically run out by his vice captain, Ajinkya Rahane, midway through the final session.
The run out came completely against the run of play as Rahane and Kohli compiled a steady score against the old ball, with Australia’s bowlers toiling with a ball that offered no movement through the air.
However, Rahane was the architect of his captain’s downfall, ending a 88-run partnership by calling for a run that was never there.
With Kohli out — and, more importantly, the new ball taken — India’s patient approach looked like it would fall apart at the seams.
Starc has made the period of play under lights, within an hour of the close, his own in pink-ball Tests — and he struck again just four balls into the new ball spell to have Rahane trapped in front for 42.
Hazlewood too had the ball swinging and darting off the seam, and trapped Hanuma Vihari (16) leg before during a hugely difficult period for the Indian batsmen.
It looked like India could have collapsed into a heap from there, but Wriddhiman Saha (9) and Ravi Ashwin (15) not only survived, but thrived before the close of a tense day’s play.
Look back on how all the action unfolded in our live blog.
Live updates
Pinned
By Daniel Colasimone
That’s stumps!
I was about to call that day for Australia after that little spell of 3-18, and the diabolical run out of Kohli, but a late rally from Saha and Ashwin has added a layer of shiny pink lacquer to India’s innings.
India finish day one on 6-233, with Ashwin on 15 and Saha on 9
We’ll be back again tomorrow, for what should be another fascinating day. We’ll know a lot more about these two once Australia has had a bit of a bat.
See you then!
By Daniel Colasimone
89th over – and this will be the last as it ticks over to 10pm local time.
Hazlewood to Saha.
Saha leaves as the ball rises over off stump.
Three dot balls to start the over.
Lavish shot from Saha! That’s his first FOUR! Hazlewood pitched wider and Saha unleashes, through the big gap in the offside for a boundary.
Those were the only runs from the over and that’ll be it.
By Daniel Colasimone
88th over – Here’s Cummins
Lovely opener – full and straight. Ashwin blocks with intent. Again he’s forward and defending confidently.
FOUR! They’d set him a trap I think but it didn’t work. A bouncer and Ashwin went after it, top edging down to fine leg. For a moment it looked like Hazlewood would get there but he was a metre short, and the ball landed just inside the rope.
Cummins is bowling well here but Ashwin is fighting fire with fire. This time he gets squared up and cops the ball in the midriff. And a carbon copy of that sequence to finish the over!
By Daniel Colasimone
10 minutes to go – Hazlewood to bowl
The Aussies would love one more wicket tonight to properly expose that tail.
Bit of a nothing ball from Hazlewood which Ashwin turns down to fine leg for one.
He’s persisting with this line, very straight or even drifting down leg. Saha gets a single now.
Nice drive from Ashwin, straight back past the bowler! They get three.
Six runs off the over.
By Daniel Colasimone
Summer is back with cricket.
-love the cricket blog
Correct.
By Daniel Colasimone
86th over – Cummins to Ashwin
Three slips and a gully, he gets an edge but it’s a thick one and beats all those guys. They get two runs.
Cummins’ line is good, forcing Ashwin to play at it on his off stump.
Now he’s off strike with a confident poke into the covers.
Three from the over.
By Daniel Colasimone
Starc with his tail up. Six overs to go today.
Starc goes a bit wider and slighter shorter outside off, and Ashwin has a bit swing and miss.
Ashwin is not going to die wondering. He gets two runs having a swing.
Short and Ashwin pulls off his hip! Almost carried all the way to Hazlewood at third man and gets a run. The Indians are exploiting the big gaps in this attacking field.
Starc has 2-49.
Audience comment by Pete in PNG
Australia on top now…….
Audience comment by Mark
What a difference it makes for my mood and mental health to hear a live home test with a live audience. An absolute ray of sunshine for a cricket fan in lockdown over in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Delighted for and envious of all of you back home!
By Daniel Colasimone
84th over – It’s Joshy Hazlewood
Surprisingly loose delivery and it’s whacked away for four by Vihari.
LBW! Gone! Vihari is out.
Didn’t bother to review it, and he’s out for 16. That’s 3-18 in the last little while for India. Beautiful bowling from Hazlewood, who’s getting the most movement out there. That one nipped back in.
Three slips and a gully now for Hazlewood. Ashwin is the new batsman by the way.
Suddenly it’s 6-207.
By Daniel Colasimone
83rd over – Can Starc strike again?
ANOTHER SHOUT! Looked to be going down leg – umpire says no but they’ve reviewed.
Yep that’s missing by a little bit, Saha survives.
Starc is tearing in and pitching it right up. Bowling at 145 clicks.
Saha does well to leave a couple and get through another over.
Audience comment by Mike
Oh dear! Where can Rahane go to avoid Kolhi?
By Daniel Colasimone
Today attendance is 17,442
By Daniel Colasimone
82nd over – It’s Starc’s buddy Hazlewood roaring in now
Vihari cops one in the midriff first up. Then Hazlewood moves one past the outside edge! Great bowling.
Attempted yorker! Vihari tried to flick it to the leg side but it catches a thick outside edge and flies through gully for FOUR.
Saha has to survive one ball, and does so.
By Daniel Colasimone
By Daniel Colasimone
NEW BALL!
Righto, with about 40 minutes to go we have a new pink ball to play with. Mitchell Starc will have a go.
He’s on the money with the first delivery, Vihari blocks on off stump.
Starc cruises in with his athletic gait, and Vihari punches it straight back past him! Three runs down the ground.
LBW! He’s gone! Wait – at the last second he’s reviewed.
It was very full and looked to be hitting about middle.
Yep, gone! That was crashing into middle and leg about halway up.
Rahane is gone for 42 – the new ball has worked.
I was just about to say that he doesn’t seem to be getting a lot of swing, but when you pitch it up at that pace, good things can happen.
Saha is the new man. A whole bunch of slips in now as the Australians smell blood. Momentum has swung.
India 5-196
By Daniel Colasimone
80th over – new ball is coming after this one
Green ambles in again. Very good delivery, full and aimed at off stump. Vihari has looked good so far, blocking sensibly.
He gets a run so now Rahane is on strike to the youngster. Bouncer outside off, Rahane leans back.
Another low-scoring over from Green, just the one from it.
By Daniel Colasimone
79th over – Lyon to Rahane – who must be feeling pretty bad about running out his captain
Rahane gets a single so it’s Vihari facing the music. Lyon is tossing it up outside off and eventually he takes the bait, pushing it almost to the boundary at cover. Three runs.
By Daniel Colasimone
Green bowling to the new man.
SHOUT! He’s beaten the outside edge and they go up. No feather though, he didn’t miss by much.
Such impressive bowling from Green, hammering that line outside off.
EDGED but it’s short of third slip. As they all have today.
