CHENNAI: In one statement, Ravi Shastri spelt out what many who woke up early on Monday morning felt as the day progressed.
“‘Bilkul chodenge nahi. Lekin thodi der ke liye wahaan g*** muh mein tha’.” (We will go for the kill. But for some time we had our b***s in our mouths). The India coach said that in an unapologetic manner on air, forgetting the basics that had led to him being one of the popular commentators of his time. But, you know where they come from. Thirty one runs. That’s the margin of India’s win; a win that gives them a much-needed cushion as they head to Perth for preserving their lead in the four-match series.
Maybe for the past Indian teams, this Test could have easily slipped out of their hands. But not with this one. With a bowling attack that is well-oiled and functioning as a unit, this bunch are fierce competitors in any given conditions. It was this attack that had made you hope for series wins in South Africa and England.
Deep down, maybe all of us knew this result would be in India’s favour. But, there were doubts that refused to go away, considering how India let the lower-order and the tail wag. You thought it is over when Ishant Sharma surprised Travis Head with a short ball. You thought it was over when Shaun Marsh edged Jasprit Bumrah to Rishabh Pant. You swore it was over when Tim Paine was dismissed off the first ball after lunch. But, in your offices on Monday, those doubts lingered.
Why, though? Sample this. In eight overseas Tests this year prior to Adelaide, Indians had failed to keep the lower-order quiet on nine occasions. Cape Town: 202/6 to 286. Centurion: 251/6 to 335. Johannesburg: 125/6 to 194. Birmingham: 86/6 to 180. Lord’s: 320/6 to 396/7 (declared). Nottingham: 231/6 to 317. Southampton: 86/6 to 246. Southampton: 178/6 to 271. Oval: 177/6 to 332.
But unlike those, India knew in Adelaide they had the upper hand. It is only when the Kookaburra ball got soft this Indian attack had looked vulnerable at times. But here, they showed with their all-round effort and sustained pressure that they were never out of the game.
“Especially with the Kookaburra, we have not been able to sustain that pressure long enough in the past. But our bowlers are fitter and can impart more pace on it for longer periods. Their job at certain times is to just contain,” said skipper Virat Kohli.
It is perhaps with this thought India persisted with R Ashwin at one end and rotated their pacers at the other. The one striking pattern for this attack is they seldom concede runs, even if there’s a big lull in their wickets column. They might not opt for defensive lines, but they keep both ends plugged, rarely allowing oppositions to run away with a session.“The pitch also got a little slow in the second session. The Kookaburra gets softer and it is difficult to get it going off length to nick batsmen off. If Australia had been 50/4, we would have gone with our strike bowlers straight away, as we could have afforded to give away a few runs,” said Kohli.
“We went with Ashwin and Ishant this morning because we had a template, one in which they wouldn’t be allowed to score more than 1-2 runs per over. As batsmen, if you are not playing with positive intent, you can nick off at any stage. That’s what happened with those guys, who were not ready.”