Pat Cummins’ impressive five-wicket haul underscored Australia’s supremacy in the pink-ball Test at the Adelaide Oval, allowing them to equalize the series with a decisive victory on the third afternoon. The situation became dire for India when Mitchell Starc delivered a flawlessly executed ball in the day’s opening over, resulting in Rishabh Pant edging it behind for his overnight total of 28. India was dismissed for 175, just over an hour into the first session. Needing 19, Usman Khawaja and Nathan McSweeney knocked off the runs within four overs even before the first session was over.
India gets all out while setting a target of just 19 runs
India commenced the day with a trail of 29 runs and five wickets remaining. They were immediately placed under pressure when Mitchell Starc delivered a superb ball that resulted in Rishabh Pant edging it to the second slip. Subsequently, the Indian lower-order faced a relentless assault of short deliveries, particularly from Pat Cummins. R. Ashwin briefly managed to handle the bounce effectively but was soon compelled to glove the ball down to the wicketkeeper.
Nitish Reddy found himself at the crease, accompanied only by the lower-order batsmen, and managed to accumulate runs steadily. However, it was not long before Pat Cummins had Harshit Rana attempting to play an awkward short delivery, resulting in a catch to the offside. With eight wickets down and Jasprit Bumrah at the other end, Reddy began to take some risks. One of his aggressive shots over mid-on off Boland allowed India to take the lead. He then executed a hook shot off Cummins for another six, but the Australian captain ultimately had the final say.
Cummins bowled another short delivery, which Reddy misplayed, sending the ball directly into the hands of the slip fielder positioned deep in the field. Cummins achieved his 12th five-wicket haul in Test matches, placing his team on the verge of equalizing the series. Mohammad Siraj, who faced significant boos from the crowd following his verbal exchanges with Travis Head, was dismissed on his very first ball by Alex Carey. However, his fortune was short-lived, as he attempted to hit Boland and ended up sending a catch to Head at midwicket, leaving Australia with a target of merely 19 runs.
Australia chase the trivial target and win the 2nd test
The openers knocked off the target without any hiccups in the fourth over itself with Usman Khawaja scoring 9 runs and Nathan McSweeney scoring 10 runs marking Australia’s dominance in day-night Tests as they won their 12th out of 13 games. The Adelaide crowd of 33,184 had more reasons to cheer about when their adopted son McSweeney creamed a brace of fours in the slim chase and then when their favourite son Travis Head bagged the Player-of-the-Match award.
Meanwhile Mohammed Siraj and Travis Head have been handed a demerit point each by the ICC after their animated exchange during the Adelaide Test. Additionally, Siraj has also been fined 20 percent of his match fee.
“The incident occurred in the 82nd over when, upon dismissing the batter (Travis Head), Siraj came within close proximity to him and gave him a send-off by pointing towards the direction of Australia’s dressing room,” ICC said.
Both players addressed the incident publicly, offering differing accounts. Head stated that he had simply said “well bowled” after being dismissed by the fast bowler and felt that Siraj’s animated send-off felt excessive, leaving him “surprised” and “disappointed”. Siraj, however, refuted Head’s claim, calling it a “lie” and asserting that Head had “abused” him instead of offering a compliment.
Siraj was found to have breached article 2.5 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon dismissal.” Head, in turn, was found to have breached Article 2.13 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to the “abuse of a player, player support personnel, umpire or match referee during an international match.”
It was the first offence in 24 months for both the players. “Siraj and Head admitted their respective offences and accepted the sanctions proposed by Ranjan Madugalle of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees and, as such, there was no need for a formal hearing,” ICC further said.
SCORECARD: India 180 (Nitish Reddy 42; Mitchell Starc 6-48) & 175 (Nitish Reddy 42; Pat Cummins 5-57) lost to Australia 337 (Travis Head 140, Marnus Labuschagne 64; Jasprit Bumrah 4-59, Mohammad Siraj 4-98) & 19/0 by 10 wickets
