The bowling of Australia and India is joyful

Cricket is often guilty of glorifying and prioritising skill with the bat over feats with the ball.

Young fans the world over more often don jerseys emblazoned with ‘Kohli’, ‘Smith’ or ‘De Villiers’ than by ‘Bumrah’, ‘Cummins’ or ‘Rabada’. Century makers get to raise their bat and salute a delirious crowd, while, after securing his five-for, a bowler often does little more than huddle up with his teammates.

But now, when Australia and India meet in Tests, it is the extraordinary ability of each team’s bowlers that secures the spotlight. Understandably media and fans have zeroed in on the batting failures in this Test. Australia were bulldozed for 191 before India yesterday collapsed for their lowest-ever total of 36 as the hosts romped to an eight-wicket win in the first Test in Adelaide.

Yet if you sift through the dismissals in those two innings, most were earnt by the bowler. There weren’t many truly rank shots where a batsman flayed at a wide ball, spooned a half-volley or got bowled through a giant gap in their defence. Yes, both batting line-ups underperformed – greatly, to be honest. But they were to a significant degree forced into errors by bowling of relentless precision.

Pat Cummins (Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

There are times when a batsman or perhaps two or three in one line-up are so tuned in that they become nigh on impossible to dislodge. India’s master stonewaller Cheteshwar Pujara was just that on several occasions in the last series between these sides. So too can a bowler or an entire attack sometimes become unrelenting, unstoppable, unplayable.

When confronted by this rare quality of bowling very few batsmen prosper. Even legends can wilt. On Day 2 the Indian attack suffocated one of the best Test batsmen in history, Steve Smith. Despite boasting a Test average of 84 against India, with seven tons from ten Tests, Smith was flummoxed by an elite attack operating at its zenith. Eventually he fell for one from 29 balls.

On Saturday India’s strong batting line-up was razed by Australian wrecking balls Josh Hazlewood (5-8) and Pat Cummins (4-21). This pair didn’t produce wild swing or extreme seam movement. Instead they channelled Australian hall-of-famer Glenn McGrath in hitting the perfect spot on the pitch over and over while gaining just enough sideways deviation.

Such probing, patient spells are sufficient to bring most batting units to their knees. Australia themselves have been humbled repeatedly by these sorts of accurate pace performances, perhaps most famously when they were castled for 60 in the 2015 Ashes. On that day it was veteran England seamer Stuart Broad who got the hot hand, grabbing 8-15.

India on Saturday were unlucky enough to be met by two bowlers in such scintillating rhythm. Cummins and Hazlewood were so overwhelming they left no scraps for their talented offsiders in Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon. That latter pair had been excellent in the first innings, Starc grabbing 4-53 and Lyon proving greatly unlucky in taking 1-68 despite creating a mountain of pressure and endless half-chances.

That neither of them was required to make a breakthrough yesterday underlines the depth of talent in this Aussie attack. Since the start of the Ashes last year, Australia’s so-called ‘big four’ of Cummins, Hazlewood, Starc and Lyon have combined to take 175 wickets at 22 across 11 Tests. What makes those figures even more remarkable is they weren’t enhanced by rolling over weak opponents. Nine of those 11 Tests were in high-stakes series against England, New Zealand and India.

Cummins is the world’s No. 1 ranked Test bowler, Hazlewood and Starc feature in the top ten, while Lyon is widely considered one of the top three spinners in this format. India, meanwhile, incredibly have no less than six bowlers ranked in the top 21.

Jasprit Bumrah is neck and neck with Cummins and South African Kagiso Rabada as the supreme Test bowler. Indian spinner Ravi Ashwin, meanwhile, showed in this Test there is no better spinner in the format. Ashwin took 4-55 in the first innings, including the monster wicket of Smith, and proved once again he is capable of adapting to conditions anywhere in the world.

Jasprit Bumrah (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

He will present a major challenge to Australia in the second Test, especially if he is paired with fellow world-class spinner Ravi Jadeja, who was absent from the series opener due to injury.

India missed Jadeja terribly at Adelaide. He and axed wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant give India a fear factor in their middle order due to their rapid rate of scoring. In this Test the tourists had a sedate six-seven combination of Hanuma Vihari and Wriddhiman Saha, neither of whom is capable of sprinting away with a match like Jadeja or Pant.

Playing in place of Vihari, Jadeja could have offered greater dynamism with the blade and a crucial fifth bowling option against an Aussie side vulnerable to spin, not to mention his phenomenal fielding. India’s slew of turfed chances in Australia’s first innings may have cost them the match. It certainly altered the course of this Test.

At 7-111, Australia were just barely clinging on. The 80 runs they added for the last three wickets, thanks to 73* from man of the match Tim Paine, swung the momentum. Australia saw a slight opening and stormed through it, leaving India beaten and battered.

Not only did India relinquish a dominant position, not only were they dismissed for a record low total, not only did they become a meme with their clumsy fielding, but they did all this in the one Test where odds were stacked in their favour. On Boxing Day Australia will be hugely strengthened by the return of star opener David Warner, while India will be greatly weakened by the departure of champion batsman Virat Kohli, who is flying home for the birth of his fifth child.

This Test in Adelaide always shaped as India’s best opportunity for victory. Had they capitalised on their winning position late on Day 2, Australia would currently be under enormous scrutiny. Instead it is the tourists who are being pilloried by fans and media after one of the lowest ebbs in their history.

Don’t forget, though, that their Sunday capitulation was engineered by an exhilarating Australian performance. Sometimes the bowlers are just too good.