After facing a close defeat in the in Adelaide Test against India, Australia won the toss and decided to bat first. On a green top where India decided to go with four fast bowlers, it could’ve been a gamble but it paid off for Tim Paine as his team posted 326 runs on the board. Then on, Virat Kohli and his men were catching up and in the end, fell 146 runs short of the target and the series is squared 1-1.
It took the Indian fast bowlers some time to get used to the Perth surface but, they made a comeback with a few quick wickets but from the hosts, almost everyone contributed and on the back of Harris and Finch’s 70 and 50 respectively, Shaun Marsh’s 45, Travis Head’s 58, Paine’s 38 and Cummins’ contribution of 19 they posted a total that could earn them a lead.
When India walked in to bat the surface still had life in it, as the bounce was inconsistent. A testament of the fact is that Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood let both the Indian openers collectively contribute just 2 runs. The Indian skipper Virat Kohli took the onus upon himself to lead the team once again. His century and a half-century from Ajinkya Rahane couldn’t ensure India a lead and they fell 43 runs short of the target. On a wicket where India played four fast bowlers, Nathan Lyon picked up a five-wicket haul which once again suggests the visitors misread the conditions.
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Australia’s response in the second innings was solid as well as they gave India a good-looking target of 287 and it was always going to be too much in the fourth innings. The hosts could sense victory even before the start of the chase. It was a sorrowful story for the Indian top order again as Rahul fell for a duck and Cheteshwar Pujara has dismissed off a peach for 4. All the contributions were in the 20s and 30s. Australia wrapped things up pretty early on the last morning and India were bowled out for 140 thus winning the Test by 146 runs.
Talking about the loss, Kohli said, “As a team, I think we played well in patches which we can hold onto. 330 on that pitch we felt was a bit too much. They deserved to win. We had the belief we could do it, but they were more relentless and put us in trouble. The bowlers were relentless even if they aren’t getting wickets which is a great quality. When we looked at the pitch we didn’t think about (playing Jadeja) but I thought Nathan bowled really well.”
When asked about his performance, Kohli said, “When you don’t win you don’t really rank your performances so it’s irrelevant because we didn’t get the result we wanted. I’m just focused on the next Test. (His controversial catch) It was a decision made on the field and it stays there. Nothing more to it.”
On the other hand, Tim Paine was feeling more relieved as they registered his first Test win as the Australian captain. He was proud of the players and staff. He felt that it was as difficult Test, as both the teams were really competitive combined with a good fast bowling attack.
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Describing his point further, Paine said, “Day one was a bit of a funny one, we crossed our fingers. Marcus and Aaron, to get us none for 100 was brilliant and probably the difference in the end. Uzzie has been batting well for a long time, bowling really well to all of us. He’s in a really good space. It’s great to have Gaz, every team wants a spinner like Nathan Lyon. He loves bowling to the best players in the world.”
Nathan Lyon was named as the player of the match for his match haul of 8 wickets and he had been the difference between the two teams.
Talking about his experience of the pitch, Lyon said, “It’s amazing to play a role in a victory, haven’t had one in a while. Thanks to everyone. It’s fair to say we’ve been in a drought, so good to break. Was special to wrap the tail up quickly. My role probably changed a bit, attacking in Adelaide to a defending on here. But luckily they ran down to the wicket to create a few footholes. When you come up against the best players, to compete against Virat and take his wicket was pretty special. Big thanks to my brother, I’m not a very good batter so just trying to play my role.”
