Kohli run-out leaves India in the lurch

Brief Scores: India 233/6 (Virat Kohli 74, Cheteshwar Pujara 43, Ajinkya Rahane 42; Mitchell Starc 2-49, Pat Cummins 1-42)

India woke up to some bad news today, and it wasn't the mundane stuff of another economic jolt or the daily reel of how we as a nation have ignored the pandemic altogether. Rather, Australia had drawn first blood as Prithvi Shaw forced his hard hands on to Mitchell Starc's spewing thunderbolt only to witness the ricochet off the inside edge make a hash of the stumps and the morning mood of the cricket-frenzied country. 

What's worse is that they won't be sleeping easy either after watching Ajinkya Rahane sell an in-his-element Virat Kohli down the river for 74 in the wee hours of the riveting day. The captain's hardnosed yet fiesty knock had allotted India's vigil a sense of structure once the top-order fell prey to Austria's discipline with the ball. In all fairness, the crown jewel was sitting pretty for a daddy hundred before the rubbish call from his deputy gave Australia a giant foot in the door. Rubbing the salt in India's wounds was the fact that Rahane was trapped plumb for 42, failing to compensate for what was a venial sin on his part. 

Kohli, who has never lost a Test after winning the toss, flicked the coin in his favour again and opted to bat under overcast conditions. Shaw opened his account of ducks at the big stage and that early inroad kindled the fire in Starc's belly. The left-arm quick probed Mayank Agarwal and Cheteshwar Pujara in the corridors of uncertainty, with the trump-card of an inswinging missile keeping the duo from prodding forward on a whim. Both the batsmen escaped with a close shave each, partly because of luck and not to forget the holy gospel of soft hands. 

Starc found an able ally in Josh Hazlewood who maintained nifty channels and even elicited theatrics from the slip cordon with an occasional peach. Much to their credit though, both Agarwal and Pujara showed stomach for a fight and didn't commit too many uncoerced errors. The battle of wills saw the first ten overs yield a trifle-worth 21 runs as the pink cherry laid the law. It seemed as if India would negate the perils and stride into Dinner break as the happier side when calamity struck. Pat Cummins weaved his charm via a scrambled seamer to breach through Agarwal's defence and lend Australia the honours half an hour before the interval. 

Mayank's exit pegged the visitors back to square one and the onus now lay with the two pillars of Indian cricket - Cheteshwar Pujara and Kohli - to rebuild from scratch. And they must have had their hearts in their mouths as Cummins' nip-backer brushed Kohli's glove and thigh but steered clear of Matthew Wade's reach at short leg. It wasn't the ultimate scare for the skipper, and India, with Starc's lifter leading to a chipped nail and a bleeding thumb afterwards. However, what followed was an engrossing passage of play in which both teams refused to concede an inch. 

Pujara's 68-run alliance with Kohli was engineered on the golden virtues of patience and technical fortitude, although their definition of a single resembled the east and the west. That Pujara chomped down as many as 148 balls to collect his first boundary is a testament to his unwavering dedication to the job. Albeit not as subdued, Kohli too dealt with each ball on its merit and let the bowlers come to him in a bid to explore the scoring avenues. His shimmy-and-thump to Nathan Lyon and the wristy whip to Starc from the off-stump were gems tailor-made for the highlights package. The graft was soon rewarded with glory as Adelaide, his favourite hunting ground, saw Kohli walk past the 50-run milestone in 123 deliveries. 

Similar to the serene build-up of momentum before the Dinner break, India had their plans in place with Tea approaching. But Pujara, who had hitherto seemed a monolith at the crease, lapsed in concentration against Lyon to offer a dying chance to leg slip. The obvious nick had somehow slipped umpire Bruce Oxenford's eye and Australia had to seek help from upstairs. Right from the outset, Rahane was his focused natural self and did well to steady India's ship with Kohli in company before sinking it into oblivion himself. He leaned into a drive to mid-off and immediately jetted off the blocks in pursuit of a non-existent run. Kohli trusted his partner's wisdom and responded to the call only to be betrayed and left stranded in the middle of nowhere. Their spirits lifted to the stratosphere, Australia opted for the second new ball as soon as it was available and removed Rahane and Hanuma Vihari from the equation, pinned plumb in front of the stumps. India lost three wickets for 16 runs in the final session. Insult to injury? You bet. 

Wriddhiman Saha and Ravichandran Ashwin managed to hold their nerve till Stumps but a collapse looms large given India's tail which doesn't own a reputation for wagging too fiercely. Australia will hit the sack relaxed and cherish fruitful dreams of a swift wrap on the morrow whereas Rahane, post a lot of twisting and turning, might need the assistance of sleeping pills to gain some shut-eye. 

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