Adelaide: Australia’s bowlers dominated the first session on Day 1 of the pink-ball Test against India here on Friday, leaving the visitors in deep trouble at 82/4 after 23 overs at Tea.
Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, and Virat Kohli all fell to sharp deliveries, while Australia’s disciplined bowling, combined with missed opportunities, kept India on the back foot.
Mitchell Starc, leading the attack, made an early breakthrough by dismissing debutant Yashasvi Jaiswal for a golden duck on the first ball of the match. Jaiswal, caught in front of the stumps, failed to review the decision and was given out lbw.
Starc, in red-hot form, continued to unsettle the Indian batsmen, dismissing Virat Kohli for just 7 runs. A delivery on the fifth-stump line edged Kohli’s bat, sending the ball low to Steve Smith at second slip.
The in-form KL Rahul also struggled, falling to Starc for 37. Rahul had a stroke of luck, surviving a no-ball earlier in his innings, but eventually succumbed to a rising delivery that was caught by Nathan McSweeney at gully.
A sequence of dropped chances further compounded India’s woes, as Rahul was let off on at least two occasions. He was initially dropped by first slip after edging a delivery from Scott Boland, and later survived a thick edge off Boland that narrowly missed the fielders in the slip cordon.
Gill, with 31, looked solid at the crease but was dismissed by Boland for a technical flaw. Gill’s usual front-foot shuffle outside off was exploited, and he played all around a ball that struck him plumb in front of the stumps.
Despite the setbacks, India found some moments of relief, with Rishabh Pant’s boundary off Starc and Rahul’s crisp drives through the cover region, including a sublime cover drive off Cummins. However, Australia's bowlers were largely unyielding, maintaining consistent pressure with few deliveries going astray.
India’s top order faces an uphill battle to recover from the early blows, with their next key partnership crucial for any hopes of a comeback. As the players took lunch, Australia enjoyed a dominant session, with the scoreboard reading 82/4 after 23 overs.
India will need resilience and tactical adjustments to recover in this challenging encounter, as Australia looks to build on their commanding position.
