Barring the previous series, in which Team India won 2-1 in 2018, Indian batsmen had always struggled Down Under.
Although there are certain exceptions, Indian batsmen failed to rise to the occasion more often than not against the Aussies in the last four-five decades.
On Saturday morning at the Adelaide Oval, the worst nightmare for India came true as they crashed to their lowest total in the history of Indian Test cricket. Virat Kohli and Company found the Australian pace battery too hot to handle and rolled over for just 36. The previous lowest total of India was 42 against England at the Lord’s cricket ground way back in 1974.
Saturday, December 19, will go down in the Indian cricket history books as one of the darkest days. Not only the star-studded Indian batting collapsed for mere 36, they also faced a crushing 8-wickets defeat.
Before the start of Day 3, the match was evenly poised. In fact, India was slightly ahead after gaining a crucial first innings lead. However, the fast bowling attack of the hosts shattered the visitors’ hopes of posting a challenging target. The bounce of the wicket and lateral seam movements resulted in India bundling out inside a single session.
Indians will need to improve dramatically in the next three Test matches to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
