The first Test is done and dusted. That I’m writing these words before play should have started on the fourth day is cause for amazement.
I like many others are thinking the same thing, “Who’d have thought we’d get a result like that in less than three days of cricket?”. What other strange or unusual takes came from this match?
Adelaide weather and the pitch – cast your minds back to the Adelaide Test last year and the weather was seriously hot. In comparison this year, with a lazy wind blowing from the south, it was distinctly cold.
Then we had last year’s pitch where Pakistan and Australia combined to score 1130 runs. The total scores in the four innings of this game (564), did not equal Australia’s first innings (3 for 589). Who’d have thought that?
Joe Burns – prior to the game starting most people, including yours truly, were questioning the logic of playing Burns, even though the alternatives were not that flash.
Who’d have thought he’d end up with the best average for Australia (59) and Steve Smith would have a current series average of 2?
(Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
Opening the batting – under the circumstances, who’d have thought a makeshift pair of openers in Matt Wade and Burns, with the latter in a serious form slump, would put together two opening stands (16 and 70), that exceeded specialist openers in Mayank Agarwal and Prithvi Shaw?
In the same vein, who’d have thought Australia and India would have completely different decisions to make about their openers for the Second Test?
Burns looked decidedly better in his second innings and fully deserved the half century he made. Both he and Wade have given the selectors plenty to think about when it comes to deciding who will partner Dave Warner in Melbourne.
On the other hand, Indian’s vaunted pair of Agarwal and Shaw had their techniques thoroughly examined by the Australian attack and both came up short. The Indian selectors must be wondering whether they keep both at the top of the order, or bring in KL Rahul or Shubman Gill.
Virat Kohli – when Kohli went to sleep on Friday night, his last cricketing thoughts must have been about how many runs would be enough of a lead to allow him to declare or be safe from losing the game.
I’ll bet he didn’t think he’d be having to find the words to accept an eight-wicket defeat inside three days.
Tim Paine – the furthest thought from Tim Paine’s mind on Friday night was winning the man of the match. He would have been working through plans to get the Indians out cheaply, trying to decide what sort of total the team could chase – yet Saturday evening, he was trying to come up with words to express his feelings about a win.
And who’d have thought Paine would be top scorer in Australia’s first innings?
Josh Hazlewood – hopefully the spell from Hazlewood in India’s second innings has dispelled the thought that this guy is not a world-class bowler. He’s shown he can be every bit as lethal as Mitch Starc and every bit as a accurate as Cummins.
Fielding – a week ago, a Roar contributor made the comment that the side that did the little things right would win this Test. In one way, he was right because who’d have thought India would gift Australian batsmen so many lives through dropped catches?
Yes there were some tough chances, but there were also some fairly straight forward ones that fielders made look way harder than they were. In a low scoring game, India can look back and ponder how few Australia should have made in its first innings, if they’d held their chances.
The Australian attack – I thought the effort by the four Australian bowlers in the series against the Black Caps last summer, was the best piece of sustained pressure bowling I’d seen. I also thought that would be next to impossible to top – until I saw the same guys bowling in Adelaide.
Australia’s been extremely fortunate to have many wonderful pairs of bowlers over the years, but this is the first time, I think, that an Aussie side has had four world-class bowlers who complement each other so well.
They know how to bowl in combinations and the amount of pressure they create by relentlessly forcing batmen to play, is simply scary.
Who’d have thought the Indian side would be in disarray after one Test? Losing their champion skipper will be a blow, but his departure has been well known for weeks.
Now they have issues at opener, they need a replacement for Kohli at 4, issues with their keeper who was not exactly on song with bat or gloves and a replacement for Mohammad Shami who is out for the series.
Throw in the mental demons they must be suffering after Saturday’s capitulation and they have a lot of issues to address and only a week to make corrections. I didn’t expect that.
andyfnq
Roar Rookie
I expected Australia to win and India to struggle based on the fact that India traditionally struggle in conditions so different from home (and conversely, Australia struggle in India). I didn't place a lot of value on India's last series in Australia; 2018/19 is an outlier due to the shambles Australian cricket was in at the time regarding both players available and morale. I expected Australia's bowling to be tight and put pressure on India. I expected India to lose, but I did not expect them to capitulate.
Derek Murray
Roar Rookie
Amazingly in a test that seemed to move incredibly quickly, the run rate across the match was the slowest in an Australian test for many a good long year. Which shows you don't need to be scoring at 4 an over to make test cricket interesting - although it can help.
Kopa Shamsu
Guest
it never got to that phase. Game was over before day 4 :laughing: That pitch at day 5 was going to be run fest.
Ben Pobjie
Expert
India must be relieved the pitch eased out.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
It's weird. India obviously outperformed Australia with the bat significantly in the first innings, even with the lives afforded to Australia by the dropped catches. Can't explain the 36 - obviously stellar bowling by Australia, but still, India was able to match it with the bat and then some in the first innings. India needs to back itself on what it did first innings; they *should* be able to recover for the series if they treat the 2nd innings as an aberration, but still look at what doubts of mind led them in to that hole. I mean, NO quality team should get rolled for 36, irrespective of the bowling attack. Yet, low scores do pop up. Australia 60 at Headingly obviously - Australia bounced back and I think India can too, but they must retain their confidence from the first innings effort that they can match it with Australia's bowlers.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
That last hit - and I'm no neuro-expert, so speculating - it hit him flush but, I don't know, didn't seem as "nasty" as some I've seen, yet really knocked him down. You wonder what would happen if he got hit at 145kmh in the wrong spot. At 22yo and he is still having concussion issues two weeks later, it's really worrying. You wonder if he should go on.
Dwanye
Roar Rookie
Really unlucky. I not sure if some people could be a bit predisposed, just make up in skull and such. The body is odd and not uniformed.
dungerBob
Roar Rookie
Mate, I feel your pain :unhappy:
The Late News
Roar Rookie
Except those guys are currently occupied!
The Late News
Roar Rookie
you can't beat time in the middle...
Jeff
Roar Rookie
Yeah I understand maybe 6 or 7? One or two from footy I think and another fielding.
DingoGray
Roar Guru
If a change is required, it will be Head. Same thing in the Ashes when the all-rounder was required (And the All-rounder will be required on the Dull MCG) Head went out. And to be honest the shot he played in the 1st innings he's got zero excuses. Burns on the other hand (don't care what DRS says) shouldn't of been out. And then has made a fist of it in the second innings. And Wade dismissal second innings you won't see again in a hurry. Complete bad luck
Dwanye
Roar Rookie
Hi Jeff, stuff I’ve read from Gideon H he has had multiple concussions out of the game. Not good at all really.
Dwanye
Roar Rookie
Yep, india hold their catches, their bowlers have a blitz of a session or two, aust could be bowled out for a crazy low score with the batting lineup
badmanners
Roar Rookie
Starc did not play against England at the MCG in 2017. He played 3 tests there and has taken 9 wickets at 38.66. Pat, also 3 tests has 18 wickets at 16.16, fairly useful like Pattinson who has played 3 tests 18 wickets at 16.5. But are you going to drop The Hoff as well? 5 tests, 13 wickets at 38.15. Maybe you could split them on what they offer with the bat? Starc averages 36 at the MCG, The Hoff............. 1 :cricket:
Mango Jack
Roar Guru
The Indian top order batsmen need to remember some advice they probably got as teenage boys. "Leave it alone"!
Jeff
Roar Rookie
Doesn't go well Adelaide pink ball is subjective. In 2015 he was second top score in the first innings and was second top score in both innings in 2016. Scores are generally lower across the board in d/n Tests - last year was an exception the rule.
Pierro
Roar Rookie
The Aussis selectors often get a bit confident selecting the same team , particularly bowlers between adelaide and melbourne in last five years . England and India are two sides that effectively beat off the same bowling line up at mcg . I think the key move is pattinson in for starc for me , not that starc always goes bad at mcg but his average is mid thirties and pattinsons is under well under 20 there . India got on top of starc in 2018 as did england a bit in 2017
Paul
Roar Guru
agreed. Those types of injuries are ones you can carry into a game. You're either 100% or nada.
Pierro
Roar Rookie
Head certainly needs to take some runs coming up. Really wade head and green are starting to compete for two places long term unless wade can make the opening spot his own for this and next summer as well as sth Africa