As the game drew to a close, Virat Kohli could only throw his right hand up and shake his head in disbelief. This came at the heels of the ball slipping through his teammate’s fingers and going over the ropes.
The desperate scene summarized perfectly what had been happening throughout the game – a series of unfortunate events, at least if you are a fan of Indian cricket. For the Australians, it was nothing short of a perfect game.
So ended the first of four Test matches between touring India and host Australia for this year’s edition of the prestigious tournament. The final score, a 191 & 93/2 to 244 & 36/9 drubbing, says it all. Fans were in shock, and betting websites like Betway did not know what to make of it.
Team skipper Kohli had to be herded by fellow countryman Ajinkya Rahane towards the Australian dug-out for the customary post-game fist-bumps. Otherwise, he would have spent the rest of the night on the cricket field, rooted where he stood by utter stupor and numbness.
With India being a hardcore cricket culture, this is not something that they would soon forget. Neither will the rest of the cricket world. India’s long history of excellence in the sport and its subsequent epic collapse in the Test match makes their fall from grace all the more astounding.
Credit has to be given where it is due. Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins did a magnificent job for Australia. Their performance that lasted for over an hour can only be described as the greatest collection of wicket-taking balls in recent memory.
Within the limited time frame, the Australians had undone the 60-odd lead that the Indian players worked hard to build for two days leading up to the match. Given how things were going the Australians’ way inside that fateful hour, there was probably nothing that the Indian players could have done to turn things around.
Still, team India could have shown a little more resolve. Kohli admitted as much during interviews in the aftermath of the shocking game. In the first inning, they were playing aggressively and looking for runs, bowling in well-selected areas.
This initially worked in their favour, but it lulled them to a go on the defensive. This was painfully obvious to Kohli in the second inning where they started retreating into their shells instead of going after runs. There were still good balls, much like there were in the first inning. What changed was the Indian team’s intent and aggressiveness.
The outcome of their first excursion will definitely hang over India’s collective head. With three more matches left in the Australian Test series, things are not looking good for the 2018 winners. To make things worse, there are now more questions that the team has to face.
Primary is Kohli’s absence for the remainder of the series. Kohli has asked for paternity leave and is headed home for the birth of his first child. Needless to say, it was a valid request that the team was more than happy to grant.
Another concern for the team moving forward is the injury sustained by Indian ace bowler Mohammed Shami. Shami fractured his wrist after coping a blow to his bowling arm due to a Pat Cummins bouncer.
Mohammed Siraj is the likely replacement for Shami while the team is looking to veteran Rohit Sharma to help turn things around once his required quarantine period lapses.
(Syndicated press content is neither written, edited or endorsed by ED Times)
