Australia vs India second Test analysis: Five things we learnt
Australia wrapped up a dominant 10-wicket over India in Adelaide - and here Sports News Blitz’s James Melloy analyses the match and what we can draw from it.
Mitchell Starc with the pink ball is simply unplayable
Mitchell Starc is and has been a brilliant bowler for many years now, but he seems to go to another level when he has the pink ball in his hand.
From nine day/night Tests with the pink ball, Starc has picked up over 40 wickets which is just ridiculous.
Starc got the impressive Jaiswal trapped LBW with the first ball of the second Test which set the tone for the entire Test - he would go on and take a career best of 6-48, picking up another two wickets in India’s second innings.
The ball to Shubman Gill was simply unplayable and even without Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins impressing as always, Starc is Australia’s main man when it comes to the pink ball.
Travis Head is India’s biggest nightmare
Travis Head just loves playing against India, a hundred in the World Cup final in 2023 in Ahmedabad, 89 in the first Test and now 140 from 141 deliveries.
India must be pretty sick of the sight of Head at this point.
He went after every Indian bowler to score a run a ball 140 on his hometown ground, to carry on his insane run of form in all three formats.
When he was finally dismissed he got a send-off from Mohammed Siraj which led to the bowler being massively booed by the Aussie crowd.
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Scott Boland is so reliable
Despite losing Josh Hazelwood through injury, Scott Boland yet again did a brilliant job for Australia - he very rarely bowls a bad ball and is so consistent.
With Starc and Cummins, Boland goes under the radar but it shouldn’t go unnoticed the job Boland has done every time he has played for Australia.
Nothing will beat when he took 6-5 in the 2021 Ashes but Boland is very reliable and so consistent whenever he plays for the Aussies.
Rishabh Pant entertaining as always
Rishabh Pant’s ability to hit sixes and fours whilst falling over is seriously impressive.
Considering where he was a year ago after the car accident, the fact he is even playing cricket is some story.
Pant is seriously good to watch, and is arguably one of India’s most important players at the moment alongside Jasprit Bumrah.
You never know what you're going to get with Pant which makes him so exciting to watch.
Nitish Kumar Reddy – The next Indian superstar
Scoring 42 in each innings for India in the second Test, Nitish Kumar Reddy looks to be the next Indian superstar.
Hitting five sixes against the Australian pace attack, he is fearless and looks a real talent.
Without his knocks, India would have been in even bigger trouble.
It’s not only with the bat, with the ball Reddy looks a talent, picking up the wicket of Marnus Labuschagne for 64.
He looks to be some find for India and one to watch for the rest of this series.
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