Australia's Mitchell Starc. Photo Reuters
Mitchell Starc wreaked havoc with the pink ball, claiming a career-best six for 48 as Australia bowled out India for 180 within two sessions on the opening day of the day-night second Test in Adelaide on Friday. The hosts ended day one at 86-1, poised for a first-innings lead as they aim to recover in the five-Test series. Opener Nathan McSweeney was unbeaten on 38 with Marnus Labuschagne on 20 at the other end.
Earlier, armed with the new pink ball, Starc set the tone by dismissing Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal lbw with the first ball of the match. The left-arm quick's roar indicated the significance of removing the dangerous Jaiswal, who had smashed a rapid 161 in the series opener in Perth. Shubman Gill (31), returning from a thumb injury, played some elegant drives, but KL Rahul, at the other end, adopted a defensive approach.
Rahul, who retained his opening spot after a patient half-century in Perth, took 21 balls to score his first run and received two reprieves in Scott Boland's first over. Boland, replacing the injured Josh Hazlewood, first had Rahul caught-behind off a no-ball and then saw Usman Khawaja drop an edge at first slip. Starc broke the 69-run stand by dismissing Rahul (37), who hesitated before guiding the ball to McSweeney at gully. In his next over, Starc dismissed Virat Kohli for seven, as the batter, who scored a century in Perth, attempted to withdraw his bat too late.
Boland ended Gill's fluent innings by trapping him lbw in the penultimate over before the dinner break. India continued to lose wickets after the resumption. Rohit, who missed India's victory in Perth and batted in the middle order, was trapped lbw for three by Boland, while Rishabh Pant (21) fell to the extra bounce generated by Australia captain Pat Cummins. Starc dismissed Ravichandran Ashwin for 22 and bowled Harshit Rana in the same over to complete his five-wicket haul.
Nitish Kumar Reddy (42) attempted to counterattack with three sixes, including an audacious reverse scoop against Boland, but India fell short of the 200-run mark. McSweeney had his share of luck when Australia came out to bat. The opener edged Jasprit Bumrah, and wicketkeeper Pant dived but failed to catch the ball, which would have been a straightforward catch for Rohit at first slip. Bumrah soon had his revenge as Usman Khawaja fell for 13, edging the bowler to Rohit in the slips.
Labuschagne and McSweeney played cautiously against Bumrah and looked comfortable against the other seamers. The opening day attracted more than 50,000 fans, making it the fourth highest attendance ever for a day of Test cricket at the Adelaide Oval.
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