First created doubt in the minds of Virat-Rohit-Rahul-Gil, then got them out easily.

Adelaide. Just as the country remembers December 6 for the demolition of Babri Masjid, this date will now be remembered for the story of the disintegration of Indian batsmen. On a flat pitch where the bowlers should have been yearning to take wickets, the batsmen were seen yearning to score runs. Apart from winning the toss, Indian batting appeared to be falling apart in the first two sessions.

There was neither uneven bounce like Perth on the pitch nor was there any seam movement after the ball was hit, yet the Indian batting kept collapsing like a house of cards. One by one, all the top order batsmen got trapped in the maze created by the Australian bowlers. Some fell prey to incoming balls, while others were seen wasting their wickets, getting caught between the ball and the ball.

Trap for Virat and Rahul

Starc, who created a sensation by dismissing Yashasvi Jaiswal, the hero of the previous match, on the first ball of his/her spell, broke the back of Indian batting with what he/she did in his/her second spell. A great example of how a fast bowler sets up a big batsman, i.e. lays a trap, was seen in Adelaide. If we first analyze the dismissal of KL Rahul, then you will remember that he/she was out in the same manner on the first ball of Boland but it was a no ball. Starc continuously attacked the off stump and maintained constant pressure from his/her angle and also brought some balls inside which put the batsman in dilemma. Virat’s wicket was also part of the same set up. Before getting out, one edge of Virat went down the gully, one drive also went in the air and then came that ball where Virat was stuck between playing and leaving and the ball did its job.

Boland’s game plan for Rohit and Gill

Adelaide’s pitch was probably the most suitable for Scott Boland, who was included in the team in place of Hazlewood. Boland’s strength is his/her cutter and wicket to wicket bowling which the Indian batsmen do not like at all. If we analyze the dismissal of captain Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, it will become clear that they too were victims of a set up. The continuous length ball and the ball hitting the wicket were testing both the batsmen again and again and Boland was bowling on the you miss I hit formula. Both the batsmen missed the straight ball and lost their wickets. There was no movement in the ball yet the straight ball managed to send both the batsmen to the pavilion.

The Australian bowlers had done a lot of homework to take all the 6 wickets of the top order, but on a flat pitch, they not only managed to dismiss the batsmen but also gave an indication that they have forgotten the failure in the Perth Test.

tag: Border Gavaskar Trophy, india vs australia, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli