The endgame seemingly has begun for Rohit Sharma in Tests. Even at his peak, he didn't have top defensive control. He used to adjust at the last moment, banking on his faster reflexes. Now, with slowing reflexes, he is proving to be a sitting duck, a walking wicket.
The India captain gave up his opening position and came in at No. 6, with his team in trouble at 81/4 after electing to bat first in the second Test against Australia at the Adelaide Oval. He never looked comfortable. And when Scott Boland made one nip back off the seam, Rohit was beaten on the inside edge. He was caught plumb in front.
Coming into this Test, on the heels of a poor home series against New Zealand, Rohit was undercooked. He missed the series opener in Perth for the birth of his second child. In the tour game against PM-XI, he got out cheaply, trying to play away from his body. The 37-year-old is now getting beaten both on the outside and inside edges.
At the other end of the spectrum was Nitish Kumar Reddy. Eyebrows were raised when he was picked in the Test squad, on the back of a limited experience in first-class cricket. The 21-year-old from Andhra has taken to the longer format like a duck to water. Yet again, he revelled in the irreverence of youth.
Mitchell Starc, who was making the pink ball talk, bowled one fast and full outside off. Reddy lined it up and smoked it over extra-cover for a six. He took Boland to the cleaners in the next over - a sequence of 6, 4, 6. The first six was an outrageous reverse-lap that brought the crowd to their feet. Without Reddy’s 42, India wouldn't have reached 180 in their first innings - still a tad below par in a day-night Test, but competitive.
Cricket can be a great leveller. In Perth, Yashasvi Jaiswal sledged Starc, berating him for bowling “too slow”. In Adelaide, Starc accounted for the Indian opener in the very first ball of the match. Shubman Gill started off with back-to-back fours against the left-arm quick. He was batting beautifully until he got out for 31, missing a full delivery from Boland.
At the other end, Lady Luck was smiling on KL Rahul. He was still on nought when Boland had made him nick one behind the stumps. But the bowler had overstepped. Then, Usman Khawaja dropped him at slip. Rahul gradually settled down and stitched a 69-run partnership with Gill for the second wicket. But Starc came back for his second spell and did him in with extra bounce.
Virat Kohli also couldn't handle the extra bounce and perished for seven. He was in two minds, whether to play or leave, and the ball moved away after pitching. Strac was in the middle of a fantastic spell. It changed the game. He would end up with 6/48 from 14.1 overs.
After the break, Pat Cummins bounced out Rishabh Pant. India slid to 109/6. Reddy’s belligerent cameo gave the bowlers something to work with.
As India bowled, poor decision-making from Pant gave Nathan McSweeney a life off Jasprit Bumrah. The opener was on three then. Bumrah removed Khawaja with an excellent away-goer that squared up the southpaw. At the end of the day's play, the hosts reached 86/1 without any further damage.
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