1st Test Day 5: Bowling Cartels Fight Tooth and Nail as India Goes 1-0 Up

It’s not the first time that as Australians we have thought – if only our batsmen showed as much fight and heart as our bowlers did when they batted, we’d win a lot more Test matches. Gone are the days when batsmen 9, 10 and 11 just fell over to get the innings over and done with quickly. These close finishes always become the domain of the bowlers, and on them falls the anguish and pain when they fall short. Those of us watching know better, and the top order should be feeling the greatest disappointment.

Another day’s great Test cricket may not have gotten the result most Australians were looking for, but it showed that the team was not lacking in fight for the cause. As they did all through the Test however, India managed to get a wicket every time Australia threatened to get a partnership that could shake the result their way. The demise of Head and Marsh in the first session both came at crucial times and were both good pieces of bowling rather than poor strokes that came from Khawaja and Handscomb yesterday. From that point it was always going to be difficult not matter how much one may have hoped for a miracle.

There’s no doubt that the was not a lot in the pitch for the bowlers, and Ashwin went the entire day without adding to his two wickets for the fourth day. But why should it be that the bowlers were able to look so much more composed with the bat than Australia’s top order? Even against the second new ball, Cummins, Starc, Lyon and Hazlewood managed to bat with relative comfort despite the pressure on them to retain their wicket and to also score runs. They were somewhat agricultural in their approach with plenty of runs through and over slips, but they still looked better than their batsmen on occasions. The fact that they managed to get within 31 runs of victory with 104 runs coming from the final three wickets should be weighing heavily on the batsmen in the team.

India fully deserved their victory. They were patient, never panicked, and kept to their plans even when the partnerships threatened to get out of hand. That they had plenty of runs and time to play with in their chase to victory was to their benefit, but they did everything to the letter. Shami and Bumrah in particular nagged away all day while Ashwin just bowled like a metronome. They won without a huge contribution from their captain with the bat and they will be pleased with that, along with the feeling that they will need to bat better in Perth if they are to continue on their winning way. 

Australia’s fight will give them hope going forward, but they cannot hope to get back into this series without runs from the batsmen. Each batsman lost their wicket at least once in this Test by a false shot that needed not to be played, and that is where the problem lies. Starts were made and thrown away, and they proved to be costly. Finch, Marsh and Handscomb in the first innings were awful dismissals, while Khawaja and Handscomb in the second innings cost the team any chance of starting day five with a realistic chance of victory.

Australia has picked the same squad for the opening two Tests, so there is little chance of a change in personnel, especially as Mitch Marsh failed in both innings of the Shield game in Melbourne. It means this same team has the chance to redeem themselves, both as a team and as individuals. All the batsmen showed glimpses of form and will be looking to make more of it in four days time. The bowling group will need to rest up, perhaps more from their batting than their bowling. Both Starc and Cummins in particular will be looking to find something they lacked in this Test to make more of an impression at the bowling crease. They looked underdone and perhaps they will be better for the run. Let’s hope so. 

What we did see was a fantastic advertisement for Test cricket, again showcasing why it is the ultimate form of the game of cricket. India’s victory now means Australia must come from behind if they want to win this series, and will need to find every piece of their ability in order to do so. India will be wary of over-celebrating and taking their opponents too lightly in their quest to become the first Indian team to win a series in Australia. Perth awaits, and another classic contest appears in the offing.