ADELAIDE: Australia bounced back in style on Sunday, defeating India by 10 wickets in the second Test of the 5-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy at Adelaide to level the series at 1-1.
This commanding victory came after a stellar performance from the Australian bowlers. Skipper Pat Cummins took five wickets while Scott Boland scalped three and Michell Starc took two to bowl out the visitors for 175 runs in their second innings. India just set 19 19-run target for the hosts to level the series.
The openers took just 3.2 overs to chase the target.
India, who had shown promise in the first Test, struggled to replicate that form in the pink-ball challenge.
The day opened with India needing a partnership between Rishabh Pant and Nitish Reddy if it entertained any such hopes. There was no possibility of any such hope owing to a terrific first over of the day from Starc, who sent Pant back to the pavilion.
Cummins went on to pick up the tail-enders quickly, not allowing India to build any resistance. Reddy had started to bloom with some rather aggressive strokes and was out before he could reach his first Test fifty as India could not pick up even a slender lead of 18.
Mohammed Siraj batted, as the Australian bowlers then turned on a storm of short-pitched balls. While an odd boundary would come, Scott Boland eventually sent him back to the pavilion, giving Australia a very minor target to chase.
Inside just 3.2 overs, Australia’s openers, Usman Khawaja, and Nathan McSweeney, needed no time to finish up the chase.
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Travis Head was named Player of the Match for his brilliant 140 in the first innings. The victory ensured that it would be a 1-1 series ahead of an exciting third Test at Gabba from December 14-18.
