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Pitch quotient subsides as dreadful technique quells Australia's first innings 


image-ldx37ybiRavindra Jadeja claimed a five-for (Source: Twitter)

Rank-turner', 'Pitching doctoring', and many other sophisticated terms trended among the Australians and their media as the Nagpur pitch was meant to be put under a bad light.

However, as the first ball of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023 was bowled on the so-called India-benefited wicket, it vociferously explained how the Aussies, if not the players, were all talk and no cider.

With Pat Cummins having the coin flipped in his favour and asking India to field, Australia had all the more reasons to celebrate and not complain as India now happen to be the last one to bat on the soi-disant raging turner expected to develop more cracks with match's progression.

The pitch discourse or that is the apple of discord in the case was shut down by the India pacers Mohammad Shami and Mohammed Siraj as the duo hunted down Australia openers David Warner and Usman Khawaja in their first spells.

While Shami and Siraj had already given a preview of Australia's woes in India, Australia's batting line-up including Marnus Labuschagne (49 runs) and Steve Smith (37 runs) was subjugated by Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin.

With the wicket having no demons, it was more of the batters' horrendous technique and overthinking that had Australia kneeling down on the surface which was expected to be a minefield.

Barring Labuschagne and Smith, wicket-keeper Alex Carey found his way out of jail with sweeps and reverse sweeps. But as Ashwin followed suit after Jadeja's five-wicket rampage, Carey's torrent of 36 runs down the order could take the visitors only to 177 in their first innings.

Adding more to Australia's misery, and the pitch carpers', Rohit Sharma fluently smashed a half-century as the fault-finders could not even nitpick.

Now that Australia have bowed to India's brilliance and their own inefficiency, it's time people not grumble and prattle about the pitch and rather get on with the action happening on it.