The Abysmal 36 at Adelaide, the Magic at Melbourne and the Sydney Spectacle. What a show it was! A show of grit, guts and gumption as the players poured their hearts out while fighting odds, injury and pressure in a glorious match for the ages. A team missing three of its premier four pacers, it’s captain and best batsman, missing the services of an in form all rounder for half the game, amidst the quarantine against arguably the best bowling attack in the world, at a ground where no team has batted over 130 overs in six decades in the fourth innings and playing a series where no team has ever batted for more than 115 overs in any innings.
The Changes
Amidst all the injury and unavailability, Rohit Sharma was now available and a recently inconsistent Mayank Agarwal was swapped out for him. Umesh Yadav who sustained an injury was replaced by Navdeep Saini who made his debut.
Rain Dampens Spirits
Australia won the toss and chose to bat as is standard in a test match and India were left chasing the game ever since until the very last day. However, just as the match got underway, rain decided to make an entrance. Unfortunately for Australia, David Warner found an outside edge of Mohammed Siraj’s bowling and was caught at slip even before the rain halted play. It took a while but finally, the rain stopped and the action resumed.
The Resurgence
Debutant, Will Pucovski notched up an impressive 64 runs as he was given 2 lives in quick succession by Rishabh Pant behind the stumps as Pant’s keeping skills hurt India. Then, came the fated partnership that was to be feared, Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne. The Indian bowlers had kept them quiet with great success but suddenly they kicked into gear and by the end of Day 1, even India’s best efforts couldn’t stop their rampage. The dynamic duo was back in business and the first innings was all about them.
Jadeja Tears the Aus Line Up Into Bits and Pieces
Ravindra Jadeja had proven his worth in gold with a display of his batting prowess at Melbourne but he worked his magic with the ball too this time around. Australia were still going strong as Smith and Labuschagne continued to build up the momentum, putting immense pressure on the Indian bowlers. Jadeja bowled a short one, bounced it up and spun it away from Labuschagne but as he attempted to play it on the back foot, it clipped the outside edge and Ajinkya Rahane took a stunning catch and Labuschagne fell 9 runs shy of a ton. The drought of wickets was over and now the wickets began to flood in as a collapse ensued. Just as the beginnings of a partnership between Wade and Smith was forming, Rahane played his ace in the hole and brought Jadeja back on, Wade got a little too aggressive and sure enough, he was dismissed. Then, the speedster Jasprit Bumrah and Jadeja quickly wiped up the middle order and tail with 3 ducks and one wicket on 1. Jadeja got Smith run out with a direct hit to end Australia’s innings fittingly with a score of 338 runs as Smith notched up a solid 131 runs.
Off to a Solid Start – The Pull Shot Duo
Now, it was time for India to bat. Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill were opening together for the first time but it didn’t feel like it as they were in perfect conjunction and kept the momentum going early on. Both of then enjoy pulling the short ball and keeping the runs flowing and both of them have that sublime timing. Facing the new ball at an international level in tests is like throwing a child into the back end of a pool but Gill adapted perfectly. You really couldn’t tell if this was his 2nd match or 100th.
However, things began to slow down and Rohit Sharma fell victim to Hazlewood (c & b). It was a soft dismissal but the openers had played off the new ball and laid the foundation for the innings. In came Cheteshwar Pujara…
The Intent Ramblings
“Intent” What’s all the fuss about it? Cheteshwar Pujara does what he does best, defends, defends and defends some more as he anchors the innings. Yet, he is the brunt of the criticism is thrown at him for not showing more ‘intent as he scores 50 runs of 176 balls, the highest in India’s first innings (tied with Shubman Gill). He becomes the scapegoat for the entire innings. What people need to realise is, the problem is not Pujara, it’s people trying to play too much like him. He can only preserve his wicket but if batsmen tumble down around him, there’s not much he can do. In the end, it all comes down to impact not intent. You need attack and defense, that’s how a strong and more impactful team is formed.
Pat Cumm-Insatiable Thirst for Wickets and the Run Out Saga
21.4-10-29-4. Pat Cummins’s figures as he ploughed through the Indian batting lineup. He started off by getting Shubman Gill and then the big fish, Ajinkya Rahane clean bowled for 22 after which he seemed unstoppable.
Next in was Hanuma Vihari who was just defending solidly until the run out saga started. Josh Hazlewood pulled off a stunning piece of work as he dived at mid off, stopped the ball and hit the ball right on the stumps all in one quick motion as Hanuma Vihari fell just short.
The momentum was swaying away from India and the Aussie bowlers were coming in hot. Pant and Pujara were knitting together a partnership and Pant got a strong start but it was all in vain when a drive turned into an outside edge and David Warner reacted quickly to secure the wicket.
It was from here that the collapse ensued. Pat Cummins sent Pujara packing within an over, leaving Ravichandran Ashwin and Jadeja on the crease. Once again, terrible running between the wickets cost Ashwin his wicket, exposing the tail. The tail had the sole job of allowing Ravindra Jadeja to score and he did just that but a wicket from Starc, another direct hit to dismiss Bumrah and a wicket from Pat Cummins ended the Indian innings, putting the final nail in the coffin. India were all out for 244 with Jadeja unbeaten on 28. It looked like a long mountain to climb for India as they were trailing by 94 runs.
To add insult to injury was injury itself as Ravindra Jadeja who had been instrumental for India with the bowl and bat had fractured his thumb while Rishabh Pant hurt his elbow (this worked out though as Saha kept instead of him but he still came out to bat in the 4th innings).
India’s Path Forward Gets Smudged
Australia were back on to bat and lacking Jadeja, India’s bowling attack had to really step up. Mohammed Siraj who had just recently lost his father, the driving force behind his career and was living the dream his father had for him. He got the first wicket, bowling some excellent lines and Will Pucovski couldn’t make it 2 for 2 (50s). His zeal and passion clearly exhibited how much this milestone meant to him. Ravichandran Ashwin too bounced back strong after a wicketless first innings and got a woefully out of form David Warner out early on. It was a shaky start for Australia but it was but a small step for India as the two best batsmen in the Australian team were back on together, Marnus Labuschagne and Steve “Smudge” Smith. They had the chance to drive it home for Australia and it seemed like they may have accomplished just that. It isn’t until when Australia are at 138 runs that Labuschagne goes to play one of his standard leg side shots that the extra bounce from Navdeep Saini sends the ball back to Saha who takes a sensational catch. Saini came through for India once again as Matthew Wade continued his poor run of form. Slowly but surely, the game was heading away from India however and then came the man who attempted to just snatch it all away.
A Future Star?
Cameroon Green. A relatively new player in the international cricket scene, no one expected much from him and Australia were in a comfortable situation despite the two successive wickets. With no pressure, he played freely, enjoying his stay at the crease as if he was a seasoned batsman and scored an impressive 84.
Eventually, Ravichandran Ashwin got his man, Steve Smith on 81 for the 4th time this series as Tim Paine came in but the game seemed too far away from India.
The objective was straightforward, keep hitting with no regard for wickets, declare and then get India all out and Australia should have cruised to a win or so it seemed…
Paine and Cameroon Green went on for a bit and then Australia declared on 312/6, setting India a target of 407 with 4 sessions to go.
A Rough Day for Boom
India’s ace speedster, Jasprit Bumrah had a rough day as in spite giving it his all even though the track didn’t offer much, two catches were dropped off his bowling. One was a sitter and one was slightly harder as Hanuma Vihari dropped Marnus Labuschagne on the second ball of day 3 and Rohit Sharma dropped Cameroon Green. These things are part and parcel of the game but it would still hurt a bowler.
Racism – My Two Cents
There was a lot of controversy surrounding an incident when a mob of drunk Australians allegedly called Bumrah and Siraj Brown Dog and Big Monkey. This may not sound to extreme but racism has no place in sport. Sport should have no colour, it exists to unite not divide. It was a truly disheartening incident and it pained me to see it.
407
The track is worn out by the 4th innings of a test match and it’s extremely difficult to bat on. The score enough was a massive mountain India would have to climb and the track was only going to add to their worries. Once again though, the new opening pair of Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma delivered again. It has just taken them one match and the two of them have already set some records. For the first time in 15 years, an opening pair has scored 50+ in both innings in an away test and they’re only the 2nd Indian pair to ever accomplish this, 70 in the first innings and 71 in the second. It’s also for the first time in 16 years that Indian openers have lasted more than 20 overs in both innings, home or away. Just one match together and this pair has already achieved so many momentous feats. However, India lost Shubman Gill to Josh Hazlewood and the adrenaline got the better of Rohit Sharma as he went for his iconic pull shot and was dismissed towards the very end of the day for 50. So, it was Pujara and Rahane who moved on to Day 5 and it was sheer cricketing action of the highest level but it all wound down into a stalemate.
For Every Pujara You Need a Pant–The Intent Ramblings Part 2
The Indian ship was sinking as Ajinkya Rahane was dismissed by a Nathan Lyon delivery mere minutes into day 5 and people were beginning to lose hope as the X Factor Rishabh Pant came in to bat. This was truly an excellent choice by the Indian management, promoting Pant above Hanuma Vihari. This was India’s chance at stitching up a partnership to rescue the innings and they did just that.
Newton once said, “every action has an equal and opposite reaction.” For Yin you have Yang! For The Jedi you have the Sith (had to slip Star Wars in there). For attack you have defense. For Pujara you have Pant! Two polar opposites but they complemented each other beautifully. These two have more
Defense eh! What’s that, said Pant as he jumps on squad counter attacking squad, toying with Nathan Lyon and playing a knock that actually puts a win on the cards for India. What a knock it was! Going after Nathan Lyon, Australia’s 4th innings failsafe at home. He only scored 3 runs of Lyon’s first 21 balls to him but then decided to take him on and Lyon’s next 37 balls went for 46. Bear in mind, this was a test match. He also managed to push Lyon out of the attack, that’s the impact he had with his game changing knock of 97, all of this while injured on his elbow. Lyon had the last laugh though as Pant was caught looking to get to the coveted 3 figure mark with a hit to the fence. As they say,y ou live by the sword and you die by it. A partnership of 148 runs from 43.3 overs and India were well and truly back in the game.
Pujara stuck to his strength and played that solid defensive game, holding the fort down, chipping in with the odd boundary and rotating strike while Pant took initiative and keeps the run rate flowing. This partnership silenced Pujara’s critics who had a problem with his strike rate. Had he not played out all of those balls, the outcome may have been very different. It was during this partnership that those who were beginning to lose hope felt like we could win. Soon after Pant’s wicket, the new ball was due and that’s when Pujara had his Pant moment as he hit 3 consecutive boundaries against Pat Cummins, a bowler he wasn’t very comfortable playing. But alas, it wasn’t to be, we saw a shocking sight, one we rarely witness as Josh Hazlewood castled the master of defense. He ran in bowled an inswinger, short of driving length and misses Pujara, taking off the stump. We witness test cricket at its finest.
This partnership agitated Australia so much that Steve Smith supposedly rubbed out Rishabh Pant’s batting guard during the break but whether it was intentional or not is debated upon.
Paine for the Aussies – The Houdini Act
Hanuma Vihari and Ravichandran Ashwin were playing by the test cricketing book. Defending the good balls, defending some bad balls and trying to prevent the runs from completely drying up to keep the momentum going. Before they were even settled, Vihari injured his hamstring and Australia’s constant bouncers hurt Ashwin in the chest. Yet, showing steely resolve and resilience, they battled through the pain and didn’t let it get to them. In fact, even Ravindra Jadeja who had fractured his thumb, had taken painkillers and was padded up and ready if he was needed. Such is the level of dedication these players had. Hanuma Vihari was playing with his career on the line as there was a lot of controversy surrounding his recent performances but he didn’t let the need to score get to him. At a point, India decided that a win was out of question with all the injuries and decided to play for a draw. Hanuma Vihari scored only 7 of his first 100 balls, the second lowest score in 100 balls ever but it was equivalent to a 100. Australia tried everything in their book; aggressive field placements with fielders thronging the batsmen, switching up pace, line and length, bowling bouncers to injure the players, throwing balls at the players (yes, Matthew Wade threw a ball at Hanuma Vihari) but it was to no avail as with their steadfast and unwavering commitment, Ashwin and Vihari lingered around at the crease until the very end of Day 5, securing a draw and making the nation proud. They managed themselves well, not getting worked up with a cool demeanour. This is the joint second highest number of overs the Indian team has ever played in the 4th innings, having lost only 5 wickets and braving injury. Between them, they faced 256 balls, only four times has a 6th wicket pair faced more balls in a non defeat. Coincidentally, all of this happens on the birthday of the one and only Rahul ‘The Wall’ Dravid. It was truly PAINEful for Australia however as their wicket keeper Tim Paine dropped 3 catches, grassing Rishab Pant twice and Hanuma Vihari too in the dying moments of the match. We have definitely learnt from this game that catches win matches.
Tim Paine was supposed to be the “good guy of Australian cricket and was appointed captain after the sandpaper gate incident. His statesman veil collapsed under the frustration as he rudely asked India to stop wasting time while Ashwin’s injuries were being taken care of. Moreover, there was some sledging going on between him and Ashwin that was caught on the stump mics.
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js“Can’t wait to get you to the Gabba”
— Cricket on BT Sport (@btsportcricket) January 11, 2021
“Can’t wait to get you to India, it will be your last series”
Tim Paine had plenty to say to Ravi Ashwin behind the sticks, but the Indian batsman wasn’t fazed 👊
He even watched the Aussie keeper shell one the next over 👀 pic.twitter.com/pmUNhMVDIe
Heroics in Ash-Tralia
Ashwin’s innings was beautiful on its own but something really resonates when you know the whole story. His back was in such immense pain that when he woke up, he couldn’t even tie his shoelaces on his own. During the break, he was pacing around in the dressing room, afraid if he sat down that he wouldn’t be able to stand back up again. So, this is just an appreciation paragraph for every one of the players who fought so hard and weren’t deterred in the face of injury and pressure.
The match may have been a draw but it was as momentous as a win. We eked out a draw where it seemed one couldn’t have even existed. We may go in as the underdogs but we don’t take the fall without a fight. Now, we ask the questions, what will India do in the next match, facing Australia at their favourite ground where India has never won before?
One good hamstring and no running, a back that couldn’t bend batted out half a day, shielding the man with only one good thumb and three No.11s behind them. Two under-fire cricketers played to their own strengths and revived the dream that India could win. And even before them, a man opening for the first time away from home, Rohit, showed them the pitch had no demons. All of the sledging, banter, ridicule only fired them up and pushed them to work harder. The conditions and Australians tried to prevail but India pushed themselves up with everything they could scrounge up. That is what test cricket is really and truly about.
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