Adelaide: India under Virat Kohli faced its worst hour of embarrassment while collapsing to its lowest Test score of 36 as a rampaging Australia cruised to an emphatic eight-wicket victory inside two and half days in the opening Day/Night Test here on Saturday.
There were no demons in the pitch but Josh Hazlewood (5-3-8-5) and Patrick Cummins (10.2-4-21-4) displayed fast bowling of highest quality, the impact of which will be far-reaching with three more Tests to go.
India’s earlier lowest score was 42 at the Lord’s in 1974 against England, known in Indian cricket parlance as the ‘Summer of 42’. Saturday’s total was also the lowest score in the brief history of D/N Tests and the joint fifth lowest overall.
The easy target of 90 runs was achieved by the home side in only 21 overs without much fuss.
They only lost Matthew Wade (33) and Marnus Labuschagne (6) in pursuit of the easy goal and in the process, opener Joe Burns (51) got a confidence-boosting half-century.
The home team collected 30 World Test Championship points from the win, while its skipper Tim Paine was adjudged player of the match for his gritty first innings knock of 73.
India have now lost three successive Tests well inside three days with two being in New Zealand earlier this year
Getting bowled out for 36 is going to create headaches for India: Hazlewood
Adelaide: India will feel the aftershocks of crumbing to their lowest Test total of 36 heading into the remainder of the four-match series against Australia, Adelaide Oval’s wrecker-in-chief Josh Hazlewood said Saturday.
Virat Kohli leaving for paternity leave from the second Test will also add to the visitor’s woes, according to Hazlewood, who snared five wickets in a mere 25 balls to help his team post an eight-wicket win in the opening Day/Night Test and take a 1-0 lead in the rubber.
“Getting bowled out for 36 is going to leave a few headaches here and there and their best batter (Virat) is leaving as well, it is going to leave a bit of whole,” Hazlewood said at the post-match press conference.
Kohli’s absence is also an opportunity for others to prove their mettle after the forgettable outing at the Adelaide Oval.
It was in the company of pace colleague Pat Cummins that Hazlewood scripted one of their biggest wins in recent times.
“It is probably a fresh start to a degree for the batters and bowlers, and they have a player coming for Virat and they have got some class players on the bench to be honest, so good players are going to come in and we will have some plans for (them) no doubt,” he said.
“I am not too sure how bad it is, to be honest,” he said when asked whether injury to Shami would give the Australians a psychological edge.
Adelaide: India will feel the aftershocks of crumbing to their lowest Test total of 36 heading into the remainder of the four-match series against Australia, Adelaide Oval’s wrecker-in-chief Josh Hazlewood said Saturday.
