India vs Australia: Five Takeaways from the first Test

The first Test between Australia and India at Adelaide ended yesterday with Virat Kohli and his men drawing first blood and winning the thrilling game by 31 runs. There was a lot of action in this Test and here is a look at some of the significant takeaways from the match.

Pujara’s career-defining moment

India was staring down the barrel at 127-6 on the first day of the Test. Another couple of wickets and India would have ended in absolute disaster had Cheteshwar Pujara not dug in and played brilliantly with the tail to take India to a fighting 250. His career-defining 123 in the first innings and 71 in the second innings were absolutely priceless in helping India achieve victory.

Indian pace bowling unit – one of the best ever

In Ishant Sharma, Mohammad Shami and Jasprit Bumrah, India have their best bowling unit in a very long time. All the three bowled consistently well in the first Test and were relentless in sustaining the pressure. The three combined to take 14 of the 20 wickets to fall and speaks volumes of the impact this pace trio has had. It will be exciting to see how they perform in the bouncy Perth.

Lyon and Ashwin – who was better?

Coming into this Test, Nathan Lyon and Ravichandran Ashwin – the two world-class off-spinners – were expected to do well. While Ashwin bowled well in the first innings (3-57), he struggled to make an impact in the final innings (3-92) and could not bowl consistently in the rough. Lyon, on the other hand, ended up with 8 wickets in the match and showed better control and consistency with lines. He was undoubtedly better than Ashwin in this Test.

Australia’s fight with the tail

With Shaun Marsh’s dismissal on the last day, Australia was reeling at 156-6, chasing a target of 323, and looked down and out. However, in a show of great character and resilience, the Australian tail wagged and frustrated Kohli and his men till the very end. Pat Cummins (28), Mitchell Starc (28) and Nathan Lyon (38*) did not give up and kept on defying the Indian bowlers. And while it wasn’t enough in the end, their fight was truly spectacular to watch and gave Australia hope.

Test cricket as it should be

The best thing about the first Test between India and Australia was that it was a great advert for Test cricket. It was tough, hard-fought, thrilling and entertaining cricket till the very end. The wicket was good and had something for both the batsmen and bowlers and the match was played in great spirits. The match was exactly how Test cricket should be and has set the tone for what could be a truly memorable Test series.