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A wounded Australia returned to the five-Test series against India with a 10-wicket win in their lucky hunting ground in Adelaide on Sunday they regained the lead in the World Test Championship (WTC) standings.
The hosts collapsed to a comprehensive defeat against a depleted Indian team in the series opener in Perth, denting the pride of the reigning WTC champions.
However, led by their inspirational captain Pat CumminsAustralia overwhelmed India at full strength, boosted by the return of their captain Rohit Sharma and beat Shubman Gill, in just over two days to tie the series at 1-1.
Mitchell Starc threatened with the pink ball and broke India’s back with his first innings 6-48 at the stadium, where Australia now have a perfect 8-0 record in day-night Tests.
Among his victims were Perth centurions Yashasvi Jaiswal and Virat Kohli.
Cummins led by example in the second innings, claiming 5-57 and working his way through the lower order, but it was India’s nemesis Travis Head, who nearly dropped the ball, that proved decisive.
Head smashed match-winning hundreds against India in the 50-run WTC and World Cup finals last year, and it was a familiar sight of the left-armer striking the Indian bowlers once again.
“Again, one of those swing changes,” Cummins said in his assessment of Head’s home run.
“The game could have gone either way when he came up to bat and he just took it out of their hands.”
Australia will also be pleased with how opener Nathan McSweeney batted in just his second Test, especially his fighting 39 in the first innings.
Number three Marnus Labuschagne also showed signs of returning to form in Patient 64.
After attacking defeat in Perth, Australia’s dominant win in Adelaide will do much to brighten the mood in the home camp before they head to Brisbane for the third Test starting on December 14.
“We lost a Test match last week and obviously we were the worst Test team ever,” Labuschagne said. “This week we finished Day 3 with the series 1-1, so we know how we’re going to go there.”
A sharp defeat by the tourists in Adelaide will break the euphoria that prevailed in the Indian camp after Perth.
Rohit’s drought shows no signs of ending, even after he dropped to the middle order where he scored a three and a six.
The Indian captain now has just one half-century and eight single-figure scores, including a duck against New Zealand in Pune, in his last 12 Test innings.
It was India’s capitulation in Adelaide, lasting just 81 overs in two innings, with none of their batsmen managing a half-century.
In the absence of Mohammed Shami, who is playing domestic cricket for India after recovering from an ankle injury but is not yet considered Test fit, India’s bowling seemed too reliant on the genius of Jasprit Bumrah.
India will be tempted to replace Rohit and opener KL Rahul in the batting order in Brisbane.
“We are very much looking forward to it,” Rohit said of the third Test. “We just want to go out there and reflect on what we did in Perth as well as what we did last time we were here.”