Australia suffered a crushing defeat in the second Test against India in Delhi, as the hosts retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for a fourth consecutive time. India chased down a target of 115 runs on Day Three after Australia crumbled to 113 all out in just 90 minutes. Pat Cummins, the Australian captain, admitted that the loss was disappointing, particularly as the team had been ahead for much of the game.
“I think this one is particularly disappointing, having been ahead of the game for a lot of it,” Cummins said after the match. “Those opportunities don’t come often in India, so you’ve got to grab them. So unfortunately we missed this one and it hurts a bit. The review over the next few days will be what we could have done differently.”
Australia had made 263 in their first innings and had India 4-87 at lunch and then 7-139 in the second session. However, a crucial 114-run eight-wicket partnership between Axar Patel and Ravi Ashwin allowed India to take control of the match. Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne had steered the tourists to 1-61 overnight, but all their hard work was undone in a calamitous session on Sunday.
Australia’s attempts to sweep Indian spinners backfired spectacularly, with Steve Smith, Matthew Renshaw and captain Cummins all dismissed while trying to play the same shot. Cummins conceded that the batters had gone away from their usual methods for scoring runs, which led to their downfall.
“I thought they bowled really well, it’s not easy out there, but perhaps some guys went away from their methods,” Cummins said. “Each batter has their own way to go about it. I don’t think there’s any one-size-fits-all rule. Unfortunately, quite a few of us got out with kind of cross-batted shots which might not be our preferred method,” Pat Cummins said.
Indian captain ecstatic with victory
Australia remain the world’s No.1-ranked side in Test cricket, but India can seal a place in the World Test Cricket final by winning the third Test, which begins at Indore on March 1.
Indian captain Rohit Sharma was delighted with the result, saying, “Fantastic result for us. Looking at how things were yesterday. How we came back and finished the job was a great effort, particularly from the bowlers.”
Overall, the match was a disappointment for Australia, who had been in a strong position to take control of the series. However, India showed their class and fighting spirit to come back and win, setting up a fascinating third Test in Indore.
