Indian quicks leave Australia battered and bruised

Australia’s fragile batting line-up was further undermined yesterday when Aaron Finch suffered a finger injury and Peter Handscomb’s technique was exposed yet again on a high-octane day of Test cricket in Perth.

The Aussie attack bowled with an exhilarating mix of skill and brute force to dismiss India for 283, only for the visiting bowlers to produce perhaps the most menacing spell ever seen from an Indian team.

By stumps the hosts were 4 for 132, leading by 175, but that scoreline did not accurately reflect just how much the Indian attack troubled Australia.

After settling down on Day 2, the Perth pitch quickened on Day 3 to provide perfect conditions for two attacks which contain an array of fearsome bowlers.

While Australia have often bullied visiting teams with the ball, never before has a touring Asian team returned fire like India did yesterday.

Led by express quick Jasprit Bumrah, India’s attack pummelled the Australian batsmen.

First rookie opener Marcus Harris had his helmet broken by a ferocious Bumrah bouncer.

Then Finch suffered a withering blow on his right index finger, which looked sickeningly swollen immediately he removed his batting glove.

That short ball from Mohammed Shami forced Finch to retire hurt just as he was building momentum on 25 from 30 balls.

Finch went for an X-ray, which showed no fracture to his index finger, and he is expected to bat today. But it remains to be seen whether he will be fit for the Boxing Day Test.

This will add another element of uncertainty to Australia’s preparation for that match, alongside concerns about Handscomb’s form.

In the lead-up to this series I expressed reservations about Handscomb’s recall to the Test team.

The Victorian was dropped during the Ashes last year when his curious technique was picked apart by England.

Then he returned for this series despite having made no significant changes to his batting approach as well as having averaged just 32 in first-class cricket since being dropped.

(AAP Image/David Crosling)

There was, to my mind, minimal justification for his recall. I expected India’s talented pace attack to sternly test his technique, pinning him to the crease and targeting bowled and LBW, just like England did. So it has been.

After four innings in this series Handscomb has 68 runs at 17, bringing his return in his last five Tests to 154 runs at 17.

Yet it is not his lack of runs which stands out most at present. Instead it is the manner in which he’s being dismissed.

India’s pacemen are toying with Handscomb. Well aware that he thrives on width, that he seeks to free his arms at every opportunity, they have bowled extremely full and straight to him.

Then, once they’ve sensed his frustration building, the Indian quicks have offered him wide sucker balls which he’s edged behind.

Yesterday was his ugliest dismissal of the series as he missed a full Ishant Sharma off cutter by at least ten centimetres and was plumb LBW.

As in last summer’s Ashes, Handscomb is being found out by elite Test quicks. It is hard to see the story changing in the third Test.

Meanwhile, Australia again donated a clutch of wickets to India. Harris shouldered arms only for a Bumrah in-ducker to rattle his stumps.

Later Shaun Marsh went for an optimistic hook shot before he was set and feathered it through to the wicketkeeper.

Then Travis Head, for the second time in the Test, sliced the ball down the throat of deep third man.

Head had been impressive in weathering some high-quality bowling as he moved to 19 from 49 balls, only to waste this good start.

This left veterans Usman Khawaja (41*) and Tim Paine (8*) to nurse Australia to stumps.

Khawaja started his innings nicely, looking more fluent than he has at any point in this series. That was in a large part due to the inability of the Indian bowlers to execute their plan to the left-hander.

Early in a Test innings Khawaja loves to tuck the ball through the leg side off his hip and his pads. India gave him plenty of opportunities to do so yesterday after denying him this scoring avenue in his first three innings of the series, a tactic which had caused him frustration.

Yesterday it was some persistently wide bowling by part-time offie Hanuma Vihari which got under the skin of Khawaja.

He flirted with a succession of these offerings before edging one to first slip, where Ajinkya Rahane offered him a reprieve just before stumps.

That could turn out to be the pivotal moment in this Test. If Khawaja can exploit this chance and bat through the first 90 minutes this morning, Australia’s lead should be above 250.

Such a target would be an enormous task for India given the state of the pitch, the quality of the Australian attack and the length of the tourists’ tail.