By: Sandipan Bose
This is the classic case of digging your own grave. From what we can gather is that the Indian team management wanted a turning track for the opening Test against Australia in Pune.
In the end, it was this turning track that pulled the team down to bite the dust, as Australia beat the hosts by 333 runs and won a Test on Indian soil after their 2004 Nagpur Test win.
The India team, one of the best in the world, looked like a club level side. On Day 1, the Indian pacer Umesh Yadav did deliver a good spell and restricted Australia to a manageable total.
Read More: India Lose Battle Against Quality Australian Bowling
It was the Australian spinner Steven O’Keefe, who took the lead and paid the Indians in own coin by taking 12 wickets in the match. The turning pitch helped the Australian spin duo of O’Keefe and Nathan Lyon.
Nothing that went in favour of India. After India reduced Australia to a score of 205 for nine in the first innings, Mitchell Starc came in between to guide his team to a decent total towards the fag end of the innings.
Read More: Umesh Yadav’s Rising Curve of Success in Indian team
From that moment on the opening day, the match turned in favour of Australia. India did try to come back into the game with some fighting bowling efforts from Ashwin, Jade and Yadav, but the batting unit failed miserable.
India were completely outplayed in all department of the game. They didn’t bat like a No. 1 Test team in the world. O’Keefe didn’t turn the ball as much as a regular India spinner, but used his variations to perfection.
He hardly gave time to the Indian to think and kept taking wickets at regular intervals. It wasn’t an unplayable pitch, otherwise Steve Smith couldn’t have scored a hundred in the second innings.
Only a few Test matches ago, this team could no wrong. But against a quality Australian spin-attack, the Indian batsmen couldn’t live up to expectations. Opener KL Rahul and Cheteshwar Pujara were the only two batsmen who showed resistance against the Australian spinners.
It looks quite clear that this isn’t the weakest Australian team to have toured India in recent times!
