Adelaide [Australia], December 8 (ANI): The second Test against India at Adelaide, a pink-ball affair proved to be a memorable for Australian skipper Pat Cummins as he registered a match-winning five-wicket haul, his eighth as an Australian captain.
During the second innings, India, desperately looking for a healthy lead, was stifled really hard by Cummins, who took 5/57 in 14 overs, with an economy rate of 4.10. His list of victims included KL Rahul, skipper Rohit Sharma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravichandran Ashwin and Harshit Rana. India could just get a lead of 18 runs.
Only Pakistan’s Imran Khan (12) and Australia’s Richie Benaud (9) have more Test five-wicket hauls as captain than Cummins.
With this five-wicket haul and two wickets in the first innings, Cummins completed 50 wickets in Border-Gavaskar Trophy. In 14 matches, he has taken 56 wickets at an average of 25.39, with best figures of 6/27. He has taken two five-wicket hauls in BGT. He is the eighth-highest wicket-taker in series history, with most wickets taken by Nathan Lyon (118 in 28 matches at an average of 32.91).
Cummins is also the third-highest wicket-taker in pink-ball Tests now, having taken 41 scalps at an average of 17.60 and best figures of 6/23. The highest wicket-taker in pink-ball Tests is Mitchell Starc, who has 74 scalps in 13 matches at an average of 18.14.
Coming to the match, India won the toss and opted to bat first. However, they had to face the wrath of a moving, erratic pink-ball and its mastermind, Mitchell Starc (6/48). Except for a 69-run stand for the second wicket between KL Rahul (37 in 64 balls with six fours) and Shubman Gill (31 in 51 balls, with five fours) and a fighting 42 in 54 balls (three fours and three sixes) from Nitish Kumar Reddy, there was not much highlights from India who were skittled out for 180 runs. Skipper Cummins and Scott Boland also took two wickets.
In the first innings, a 67-run partnership between Nathan McSweeney (39 in 109 balls, with six fours) and Marnus Labuschagne (64 in 126 balls, with nine fours) for second wicket set the platform for Travis Head to impose his domination over Indian bowlers yet again with a counter-attacking 140 in 141 balls, with 17 fours and four sixes, just when Aussies lost some regular wickets. His century took Australia to 337 runs and gave them a 157-run lead.
Jasprit Bumrah (4/61) and Mohammed Siraj (4/98) were top bowlers for India. Ravichandran and Nitish got a wicket each.
In their second innings, India appeared even more toothless as the star-studded top-order and middle-order returned back to pavillion despite starts from Jaiswal (24 in 31 balls, with four boundaries), Gill (28 in 30 balls, with three fours) while KL Rahul (7) and Virat Kohli (11 in 21 balls with a four) failed to score well. India ended day two at 128/5.
On the third day, Pant also lost his wicket for 28 in 31 balls, with five fours. From there on, it was not looking back for Aussies, who skittled out India for 175 runs in 36.5 overs. India lead by just 18 runs, setting Aussies 19 runs to win.
Skipper Cummins (5/67) took a majestic five-wicket haul, his eighth as a captain. Boland took 3/51 while Starc took 2/60.
Set a target of 19 runs, Usman Khawaja (10*) and McSweeney (9*) chased it down without breaking a sweat in 3.2 overs. (ANI)
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