When Indian pacers were extracting a good amount of help from the first-day pitch at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), experts on air were constantly arguing if India did not start on a disadvantageous note by not batting first, and that ‘it was a good toss to lose.’ In hindsight, it might have been true as well since India got time away from batting worries after the debacle on the third morning in Adelaide. Instead, they got the opportunity to put pressure on Australian bowling line-up.
A lot of speculations were doing the rounds about the captaincy style of Ajinkya Rahane who, for the first time in his career, is set to lead the team for three consecutive matches. It was believed that Rahane was not risk-averse and that, when presented with a situation or a dilemma on whether to take the aggressive or defensive route, he has the habit of taking the bull by the horns. He showed heart for a fight against an Australian side that was jumping with joy over dismissing their opponents for their lowest score in Test format. The evidence for this was the Indian team playing five bowlers - a move that showed he was ready to move on from the Adelaide collapse which Virat Kohli had labelled as the ‘worst collapse ever seen.’
But, the real test awaited Rahane, the captain, when he took the field on the first day. Jasprit Bumrah got India off to a brilliant start while Umesh Yadav too did not bowl badly in his initial spell. Surprisingly, in a move that sent many experts into a frenzy, Rahane brought Ravichandran Ashwin into bowl when the ball was relatively new, instead of debutante Mohammed Siraj. The decision looked out of place, but for Rahane, it did not lack vision. Ashwin heard the clarion call and dismissed Mathew Wade and the big fish Steve Smith to vindicate his captain’s move. Rahane proved he could see what others were missing in that plot and that it was not purely an instinctive decision but a rational one looking at the moisture present on the pitch.
“When we were bowling in the morning, there was some moisture on the wicket, so you saw Ashwin and Jaddu (Ravindra Jadeja) got some spin. Because we wanted to make the most of the moisture, we were trying to use them, he (Ashwin) was getting good bounce,” Jasprit Bumrah said in the virtual press conference after the end of the first day’s play.
While the pitch was offering a fair bit of assistance for the bowlers and the real challenge was in and around off stump for the batsmen, Indians were able to get the scalps of the big stars in the Australian batting line up - Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith. Smith was brilliantly lured by Ashwin by a delivery that pitched on the off stump while Labuschagne too was lured by delivery on the straighter line by Siraj. The wicket of Labuschagne could be attributed to a false shot by the batsman, but Bumrah refuted to accept that the wicket was not a result of the plan B that the team adopted after batting conditions got better in the middle session.
“There were constant discussions going on between bowlers and the captain. The wicket changed after the first session. It got better to bat on in the second session and moisture went away. We were just trying to communicate what kind of lines we wanted to bowl so that we can set the field accordingly. When there was less help, we tried to change the line accordingly,” Bumrah added on why India had a fielder in the leg slip/gully position where Labuschagne was caught by debutant Shubman Gill, handing another debutant Mohammed Siraj his maiden Test wicket.
Siraj got Labuschagne at the start of his second spell and was bowling well for a man playing his first Test. For the most part of the first day, he outbowled the senior pacer in the group - Umesh Yadav. He was incisive and bowled with good control. The over in which he set up Cameron Green showed he belonged to the level of Test cricket and his excellent first day on the field was not lost on his senior in the bowling line up.
“He has worked really hard and come up the ranks. He was eager to bowl in the first session itself. There wasn’t a lot happening after lunch and he (Siraj) bowled with a lot of control,” Bumrah said. “Suddenly he started getting some movement and wanted to make the best of it. Playing his first Test match, he bowled really well and had the confidence of using all his skills. It’s a heartening sign for us and hopefully, he will continue doing that,” Bumrah said.
After dismissing the home side for195, India had to bat a total of eight overs towards the end of the play, and the opener Mayank Agarwal and debutant Gill had their task cut out against the likes of Cummins and Starc with the new ball. Unfortunately for India, Agarwal could not handle the fiery first over of Starc and was found late on a ball that moved back towards the stumps.
Ironically, India finished the day on 36 - a score that would haunt them till the time the team reach another historic low. But the story was quite different this time around as India have their nose ahead in the game with Gill looking composed and not batting under pressure, by the looks of it, and Pujara looking to hold one end.
The batting line up would be under some pressure to avoid another Adelaide like debacle with the bat, after being in such a leading position in the game. But Bumrah said that the team would not be mentally constrained by the failures they had in the first Test. He reaffirmed the stance that Virat Kohli had taken after the loss in Adelaide, but said that the team is not looking too far ahead and they will not lag in confidence while facing the trio of Cummins, Starc, and Hazlewood on day two of the Boxing Day Test.
“We don’t want to be conservative in our mindset and be positive. Control the controllables. Not being reckless but playing with confidence will be the motive going forward. We are trying to focus on things that are in our hands. The focus will be on the first session tomorrow,” Bumrah stated.
The batting unit should put the failure behind them and remind themselves that if they can play session by session and as per their potential, they can leave the hosts way behind in the game on the second day itself. But a collapse of any sort can bring the hosts back in the game, and for that, they will have to be watchful.
Powered by Froala Editor
Powered by Froala Editor