The new-ball duo of Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami struck with the seventh and 13th deliveries of the match respectively before ceding centrestage to Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin
India captain Rohit Sharma sweeps one during his unbeaten 56 on Day 1 of the first Test against Australia in Nagpur yesterday. Pic/PTI
Inasmuch as it was spin that, as widely expected, called the shots, India’s position of strength at the end of the first day owed itself also to excellent performances from their openers in both disciplines.
The new-ball duo of Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami struck with the seventh and 13th deliveries of the match respectively before ceding centrestage to Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin. Once the spin twins combined for eight wickets to send Australia plummeting to 177 all out on the opening day of the four-Test series at the VCA Stadium on Thursday, the opening combine of Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul stitched together a vital half-century stand, dragging India to 77 for one, exactly 100 in arrears, but with the early bragging rights.
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Contrary to the doomsday predictions, the 22-yard surface was hardly diabolical. The odd ball spat venomously and there was vicious turn from time to time, but it wasn’t anything that couldn’t be negotiated with a broad bad and a stout heart, as Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith showed during their 82-run association. Australia’s implosion was primarily due to the sustained accuracy and relentlessness of Jadeja, who celebrated his return to international cricket after five months on the sidelines with his 11th five-for, and the skill of Ashwin, who became only the second Indian after Anil Kumble to get to 450 Test wickets.
Much before Jadeja, Axar Patel and Ashwin arrived at the bowling crease, Siraj and Shami had put India in the box seat with the scalps of left-handed openers Usman Khawaja and David Warner respectively. Siraj struck with his first ball, a sharp inswinger that held its line and struck Khawaja in front, even if it took a review to overturn the original ‘not out’ decision. In the next over, Shami got one to slide in with the angle to Warner, late in coming down and seeing his off-stump go cartwheeling.
Also read: Mohammed Siraj, Shubman Gill nominated for ICC Player of the Month Award
These early blows softened up the middle-order, allowing Jadeja and Ashwin to spin tantalising webs that grew ever so intricate, given how many more demons Australia concocted than actually existed.
India had enough time to make a strong start, exactly what the captain and his deputy did. Rohit set the early tone with three fours in the first over from his counterpart, Pat Cummins, and looked at ease against the twin off-spin threats of Nathan Lyon and Todd Murphy, impressive on debut. Rahul, a lot more subdued, was an equally significant cog as Rohit raced to his half-ton, until he was dismissed in the penultimate over by Murphy. Advantage India, but there’s a long way to go yet.
Brief scores
Australia 177 all out (M Labuschagne 49, S Smith 37, A Carey 36, P Handscomb 31; R Jadeja 5-47, R Ashwin 3-42) v India 77-1 (R Sharma 56*)
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