CHENNAI: The Aussies are not invincible after all. In cricketing parlance, the first Test is done and dusted and India would be heading into the second with heads held high, very high.
The beauty, however, was the manner in which the victory was enacted on the drop-in pitch of the Optus Stadium in Perth where Australia hadn’t lost a Test until now. This definitely has the potential to be part of cricketing folklore. The 295-run win in the first Test on Monday was a clear indication of India’s intent this summer Down Under.
After a hammering they got against New Zealand at home — a humiliating 0-3 whitewash — this was the perfect antidote. Bowled out for 150 runs on the first day, all seemed ruined. But they came back, through some incisive bowling led by Jasprit Bumrah, who is equally lethal with the red as with the white ball. A little assistance from the pitch, he reaped through the top order like a scythe; the home side crumbled to never rise again. Mohammed Siraj and Harshit Rana chipped in.
Like they say, Monday was just like going through the motions. Set a 522-run target, Aussies had already lost three wickets and India had Bumrah — the name batters across the globe fear. What would seem even more welcoming would be the steady batting of the top order. Especially after the jolt they got ahead of the first Test.
Rohit Sharma was out, Shubman Gill injured and the side had two debutants and two batters in the top six with a cumulative experience of four Tests. Head coach Gautam Gambhir and Bumrah were under pressure. Inspired by the bowlers, Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli and Nitish Reddy stepped up and bludgeoned the Aussie bowlers.
This victory is monumental not just for the lead or the World Test Championship, but also because Indian cricket needed it. They also showed why the two series wins earlier were no fluke. “I was trying to put myself in that tough scenario to make the job a bit easier for the new guys coming in. It’s not very easy in the first tour to take a lot of responsibility,” Bumrah said. Over to Adelaide now.