Border-Gavaskar Trophy: After Australia’s 10-wicket victory over India in the Adelaide Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT), opener Travis Head hailed skipper Pat Cummins for giving him “great confidence.”
India’s Struggles with the Pink Ball Continue
India’s inconsistent record in pink-ball Tests was evident once again as Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins dismantled their batting order. This comprehensive performance secured Australia a morale-boosting, series-levelling 10-wicket win after their heavy 295-run defeat at Perth in the first Test. With this victory, the series is now level at 1-1.
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No-one does it better #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/bHqQKJbkqi---Advertisement---— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 8, 2024
Travis Head Reflects on his Form and Confidence
Speaking after the match, Travis Head expressed his satisfaction at returning to form with a crucial 140-run knock in the first innings.
“Nice to get some runs again. I felt like I was in good form. It’s a good dressing room to be in. Pat gives me great confidence. I felt it was a great opportunity against the second new ball, so tried to get as many as I could. And I managed to get the ball rolling,” Head was quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
Travis Head is player of the match.
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 8, 2024
Watch his innings highlights: https://t.co/MpkPzgvWHD https://t.co/I0pxjtcoWY
Mitchell Starc’s Early Strikes Put India on the Backfoot
After winning the toss, India opted to bat first but faced immediate challenges against a swinging, unpredictable pink ball and Mitchell Starc’s clinical bowling. Starc picked up 6/48, and Pat Cummins and Scott Boland supported with two wickets each as India crumbled for 180 runs in their first innings.
Key performances from KL Rahul (37 runs in 64 balls, with six boundaries) and Shubman Gill (31 runs in 51 balls, with five boundaries) kept India afloat briefly. However, the team’s batting fell apart otherwise.
Travis Head’s Counter-Attack Powers Australia
In their first innings, Australia was under pressure after losing a few early wickets. However, a pivotal 67-run partnership between Nathan McSweeney (39 off 109 balls, with six fours) and Marnus Labuschagne (64 off 126 balls, with nine boundaries) laid the foundation.
Head’s explosive 140 in just 141 balls (17 boundaries and four sixes) ultimately dismantled the Indian bowling attack and took Australia to 337 runs, a 157-run lead.
Jasprit Bumrah (4/61) and Mohammed Siraj (4/98) were the top bowlers for India, with contributions of one wicket each from Ravichandran Ashwin and Nitish Kumar Reddy.
India’s Second Innings: A Struggle Without Resistance
India began their second innings with fleeting moments of hope as Yash Dhull Jaiswal (24 off 31, with four boundaries) and Shubman Gill (28 off 30, with three boundaries) made promising starts. However, the team struggled to build partnerships as key players like KL Rahul (7) and Virat Kohli (11 off 21 with a boundary) failed to make significant contributions.
At the close of the second day, India found themselves at 128/5, a precarious position with only slim hope for a strong recovery.
With only an 18-run lead, Australia needed just 19 runs to win, and they managed to chase it down comfortably, sealing the series at 1-1 with a 10-wicket victory.
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