India were leading by 62 runs as they walked off on day two at the Adelaide Oval to some laughter and applause from the dressing room. Their nightwatchman, Jasprit Bumrah, had successfully negotiated a tricky spell under lights, supposedly the most difficult period to bat during a day/night Test against the pink ball.
The worst batting performance in modern day cricket.
For any team – ever!
The cream of their batting order was yet to come and the lead was decent enough to ascertain that the visitors were well and truly ahead in the game. Virat Kohli, who had won 21 of his 25 games while never losing a Test when winning the toss before this, seemed pretty confident of their chances.
Yet, on the third day morning things unravelled rather quickly for India. Jasprit Bumrah, pushed onto the back-foot by a bouncer, was out returning a simple catch to Pat Cummins. Before he had time to even take off his pads, the rest of India’s middle-order followed!
The collapse
Cheteshwar Pujara nicked one to Tim Paine as Cummins straightened one off the seam to get rid of the dangerous Indian middle-order batsman. It brought Virat Kohli and Mayank Agarwal together, two of the most technically equipped players in the side.
But the partnership never had a chance to blossom as Josh Hazlewood came into the attack. The relentless seamer took just one ball to induce the edge off Agarwal as he nicked to Paine behind the stumps.
Before India could add another run, Ajinkya Rahane was gone too, once again edging Hazlewood behind. In the blink of an eye, India had gone from 15/1 to 15/5, losing four wickets without adding a single run.
The embarrassment
If India’s hopes rested on Virat Kohli, it didn’t last long. 15/5 turned to 19/6 as Kohli went chasing a wide one off Cummins to edge to gully where debutant Cameron Green held onto a fine chance while juggling.
India had never ever lost six wickets for fewer runs before this!
India’s lowest score at the fall of the 6th wicket in Tests
19 v Aus in 2020
25 v SA in 1996
27 v NZ in 1969
28 v ENG in 1974
Wriddhiman Saha and Hanuma Vihari held out for a while but the wicket-keeper batsman wasn’t going to prove his detractors wrong despite an extended session in the nets hours before the day’s play began.
Hazlewood’s pinpoint accuracy accounted for Saha as chipped one tamely to mid-wicket to leave India at 26/7. It soon became 26/8 as R Ashwin nicked behind and reviewed the on-field decision.
But Ashwin had to return after snicko showed a distinct spike when passing the bat. The last straw in the batting line-up was Hanuma Vihari, who had a baptism by fire against the Aussie attack on the last tour in 2018/19.
Vihari’s 22-ball vigil was brought to an end by Hazlewood who completed a five-wicket haul. Vihari pushed at one outside the off-stump and edged to Paine to give the captain and wicket-keeper another catch on a busy day behind the stumps.
Josh Hazlewood took 5 for 8
in the 2nd innings.
Hazlewood’s five for eight, a sensational spell of fast bowling, compounded by Cummins’ accuracy and relentless aggression had destroyed India. To end the day on a sour note, Mohammed Shami copped a blow off Cummins’ bouncer to injury his wrist, a potential injury that could end his series altogether!
It was the lowest total recorded by India in a Test innings where they were bowled out! They had previously been bowled out for 42 in 1974 in Lord’s against England, their lowest Test total.
At 31/9, the visitors would likely have succumbed to their lowest total ever anyway. Shami’s injury meant that it came to an end at 36!
From a position of strength, India had squandered their advantage and conceded the Test inside two sessions, with Australia breezing through to an eight-wicket win.
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