It’s amusing to witness a day of Test cricket where nothing truly matters. Not that any day of cricket inherently matters, if we’re being truthful, but a day when the play doesn’t even impact the match itself. On Monday in Perth, India had a commanding lead of 522 runs and two bowling days to take seven wickets on a pitch already exhibiting erratic bounce. The wickets would inevitably fall, and the match would conclude, regardless of the circumstances. Travis Head’s impressive 89 runs and Mitchell Marsh’s powerful sixes on his way to 47 were entertaining, but didn’t alter the outcome in the slightest. Usman Khawaja, the only player with the skill to bat for a day and a half late in a game, fell immediately to a pull shot without properly assessing the bounce. Steve Smith is also considered in the same league but has consistently had a mediocre record when batting last, even during his peak years – 70% of his career runs have come in the team’s first innings. This time, he was dismissed for 17. The lower order couldn’t contribute much, and as in the first innings, wicketkeeper Alex Carey appeared the most composed and confident among his batting colleagues. He was the last to be out for 36, and his team lost by 295 runs.
Australia has experienced some devastating defeats in the past decade. These losses are easily recalled, often just by mentioning the venue. Generally, these were matches where the opposing team was consistently dominant. At Trent Bridge in 2015 or Hobart in 2016, Australia’s batting was swiftly dismantled, leaving them trailing throughout the game. In Johannesburg in 2018, South Africa amassed a huge total in their first innings. A series of defeats in India saw Australia score around 200, with India responding with 500. Cape Town in 2011 saw Australia collapse from a winning position, but at least that game was nearing its end. This defeat feels different because, after bowling first, Australia was completely in control. The closest equivalent was South Africa at the Waca in 2016, but even then, the visitors managed a respectable 242. This summer’s visitors were all out for 150 within two sessions on day one. The analyses that dismiss this Australian team as destined for the scrapheap will overlook the quality of that performance. It was as good as fast bowling in tandem can get, supported by brilliant fielding. The subsequent batting performance ruined the effect but shouldn’t diminish the effort.
Ultimately, it was a peculiar capitulation from a position of such advantage. An overseas team in their first match of a series is not expected to recover from being all out for 150, let alone to the extent of taking a first-innings lead. Then to the extent where they bat almost three sessions without losing a wicket. Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul became the sixth opening pair to ever make a double century stand touring Australia. The subsequent grind, with six wickets falling over the best part of two days, would have been particularly painful because the Australians were not just struggling, they were bewildered. Being behind from the outset – that’s part of sport, and you can cope with that. But in this scenario, as session after session of Indian batting unfolded, the expressions on the faces seemed to keep asking, “How on earth did this happen?”
Dealing with that question is what comes next. The current Australian camp is focused on staying calm, not overreacting to poor results; they achieved some success with this approach after two heavy losses in India last year. The broader public will be far less forgiving, with many calling for changes for Adelaide, as is typical after a humiliating defeat. The initial question of how it happened will evolve into how to prevent it from happening again. While Australians worry, ponder, or vent on talkback lines, for India, this is an epochal Test match result in a country that until 2018 had never seen an Indian series victory, and since 2019 has seen nothing but. Their last two Test tours of Australia produced thrilling matches in Adelaide and Brisbane, and two excellent professional wins in Melbourne. They haven’t produced an absolute beating like this, the kind of win that can send an opposing camp into disarray.
India has a young opener with seemingly limitless potential, a veteran champion in the middle order, a wicketkeeper whose return to the game is a miracle beyond even some of the innings he plays, the best fast bowler in the world, and a supporting cast of high caliber in both departments. They didn’t bother picking two of the greatest spinners in their history and were not penalized for that choice. They have other serious players to bring back for the second Test, including their regular captain. One performance offers no guarantee about the next, especially with 10 days in between, but in aiming for an exceedingly rare three consecutive wins touring Australia, this team has given itself the best possible start.
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