Australia Dominates India in Second Test, Levels Border-Gavaskar Trophy Series

Australia secured a decisive 10-wicket victory over India on day three of the second Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test in Adelaide, with Pat Cummins claiming figures of 5-57, thereby leveling the five-match series at 1-1. India, resuming their innings at 128-5 and 29 runs adrift, was eventually bowled out for 175 at the Adelaide Oval, despite a resilient 42 from Nitish Kumar Reddy. Cummins was the primary wicket-taker, supported by Scott Boland with 3-51 and Mitchell Starc with 2-60, leaving Australia needing just 19 runs to win. Opening batsmen Nathan McSweeney and Usman Khawaja successfully pursued the target in merely 3.2 overs. The third Test is scheduled to commence on 14 December in Brisbane. Following this loss, India must secure victories in all three subsequent Tests of the five-match series to qualify for the World Test Championship final. Australia needs to win four of their next five Tests to guarantee their position, though fewer wins may suffice. Australia had established a dominant position earlier in the match, largely due to Mitchell Starc’s career-best Test figures of 6-48 on day one and Travis Head’s outstanding 140 runs on day two. India’s prospects of achieving an improbable win primarily rested on the unpredictable Rishabh Pant. The wicketkeeper, who remained not out on 28 at the close of play on day two, possesses the capability to accumulate runs rapidly and alter the game’s momentum within a few hours at the batting crease. Consequently, when Pant was caught at slip off the sixth delivery of the day from left-arm fast bowler Starc, failing to increase his overnight score, India’s slim chances further receded. Australia’s captain, Cummins, subsequently displayed his aggressive approach, aiming to conclude the match within a single session by employing a short-pitched delivery tactic to dismantle India’s lower batting order. Ravichandran Ashwin was dismissed by Cummins for seven runs after he gloved an attempted pull shot off a bouncer, with Alex Carey taking the catch behind the stumps. Harshit Rana then struggled, unable to defend an uncomfortable bumper angled towards him from Cummins, resulting in Khawaja securing a straightforward catch at gully. India’s all-rounder Reddy hit a Cummins bouncer for six, but was out for 42 on the very next delivery, attempting an uppercut to another short-pitched ball and caught by McSweeney at deep third man. Reddy has emerged as India’s highest scorer in all three innings where they have been bowled out in this series, indicating his resilience in challenging situations. Boland concluded India’s innings when Mohammed Siraj lofted a ball into the air, and Head completed a diving catch at mid-wicket. McSweeney and Khawaja effortlessly reached the target; McSweeney hit two fours off Reddy in the third over, followed by Khawaja scoring the decisive winning run. Australia captain Pat Cummins: “That’s a great week. We were far from the team we want to be in Perth but this was good. The game could have gone either way when Travis Head went out to bat but he shifted the momentum. The ball does a bit more under lights but the big thing was getting a big lead.” India skipper Rohit Sharma: “A disappointing week for us. We didn’t play well enough to win the game. Australia played better than us. There were times in the game when we could have grabbed those opportunities but failed to do that, which cost us the game. “What we did in Perth was very special an we wanted to come out here and do that again, but we know every Test match has its own challenge. We knew it was going to be challenging with the pink ball, but Australia were better than us. We are looking forward to the next Test now.” Player of the match Travis Head: “It was nice to get some runs again. I felt like I was in good form. It’s a good dressing room to be in. Pat gives me great confidence and I felt it was a great opportunity against the second new ball, so tried to get as many as I could and I managed to get the ball rolling.” ‘This has turned the Test match’ – Head’s best shotsFormer Australia bowler Glenn McGrath on ABC Grandstand:I think it’s been a big Test for the Aussies. They showed a lot of fight to get through that first night, only losing one wicket, and I think answered a few questions.There were plenty of questions after that Perth Test match where they didn’t really show any fight, but you saw here from the first ball what it meant to them.Marnus Labuschagne, the way he has played with pressure on him… he looked more confident and more at ease.Steve Smith got strangled down the leg side so there is still probably a question mark over him. Pat Cummins looked short of a gallop in Perth and looked so much better here.The majority of the questions have been answered. If Steve Smith can come out in the next Test and get a hundred I think Australia will be in a pretty good spot.