While it wasn’t a collapse on the scale of their skittling for 36 in the first Test at Adelaide, India showed that, despite their rousing performance at Melbourne, they haven’t quite kicked their slump habit altogether.
India battled hard in reply to Australia’s 338 all out in the Sydney Test, making their way to 195-4, with Rishabh Pant and Cheteshwar Pujara having added 53 for the fifth wicket. However, the former’s dismissal for 36, nicking behind off Pat Cummins, precipitated a slide of 5-21 before some late biffing by Ravindra Jadeja dragged India up near 250.
It was largely a mess of the tourists’ own making, with two run outs compounding the earlier special effort by Josh Hazlewood. Only once in Test history have India lost more batsmen run out in the same innings.
There was also some very fine bowling, with Pat Cummins returning exceptional figures of 4-29 from 21.4 overs. Almost half were maidens.
Pujara was equal top-scorer after crawling to an even fifty with Shubman Gill, who also made an exact half-century on day two.
India lost their last six wickets for 49 runs 👀
🎥 Watch the fall of wickets 👇#AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/Jl6PKHD3BK
— Wisden India (@WisdenIndia) January 9, 2021
