Rahane and Pujara helped India recover after a wobble © Getty
“Bahut Acche Puji Bhai … Kya Baat Hai Puji Bhai … He shot Hai Yaar Puji Bhai … “
For most of the first hour game at Drummoyne Oval on Sunday (December 6), this was pretty much all you heard from the Indian dressing room. The two young starters Shubman Gill and Prithvi Shaw had been eliminated early by zeroes. Pujara retired and started hitting like it was still the summer of 2018-19, when we had no idea of a potentially debilitating virus and the Australians had no idea how to rule out their arch nemesis.
The cheers for the test hitting pillar only grew louder as he navigated a tricky passage of the game against the new ball displaying his usual discipline along with the sheer ability of being able to drop deliveries purely on the basis of length alone. The vocal support from the locker room was led by the captain of the Indians – the man who will be in command of all the Red Ball Trials of the series – Ajinkya Rahane. Except you didn’t have to add the bhaiin the end. Later that day, it is Rahane who was serenaded with the same chants from a very excited dressing room as she compiled a pretty compelling century.
As with the first day, the second day’s game was also defended from an Indian perspective by two of the oldest members of the trial side, Umesh Yadav and R Ashwin, both now on their respective fourth tour in Australia. And as the cue ball stage of India’s unprecedented visit to these parts comes to an end with the emergence of some new stars, the foundation for the defense of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy is being laid by the seasoned stalwarts who they know both losing and losing. winning in these harsh climates.
Because, a day after Pujara fought back, the Indian dressing room at picturesque Drummoyne Oval looked comparatively more bare. All 11 fit players were, of course, on the field, while Rishabh Pant, who suffers from a not too severe neck strain, was left with his orange reserve vest. So much so that fielding manager R Sridhar, who fielded four balls later, and one of the physical trainers had to wear the whites in case they had to enter as substitutes. But those present, basically the support staff and a couple of coaches, made sure they were heard. And this time, all their cheers were directed at Umesh.
And when Umesh ruined Australia’s first look at his potentially new Test opening partner, eliminating Will Pucovski and Joe Burns in the space of a few installments, his camp responded out loud with “Niceeee Strongy … bahut bhadiya strong man …”
It was part of a very eye-catching spell from Umesh, who not only was casting at a good pace, but was also getting very fit for both right and left handed. It also seemed to be reaching the perfect length to take full advantage of the generous bounce on offer. And as a result he beat him at bat on several occasions. Mohammad Siraj was impressive from the other side as well, showing great maturity by not getting carried away by pitching assist and instead trying to work hitters like he did Travis Head.
If the afternoon session on the first day belonged to Rahane, then the second was Ashwin. The off-court player drew attention even before throwing a ball, as he decided to throw with his cap on instead of handing it to one of his teammates. He then settled into a delightful rhythm causing the ball to sink, catch and spin with great control. And he looked like a threat from literally the moment he hit the bowling alley. There were shaves both with the ball spinning past the left-hander’s bat and with inside edges falling to either side of nearby fielders, especially after Prithvi Shaw finally managed to find a baggy pair of pants that fitted his shin guards. With two windows up his sleeve, Ashwin was greeted at the tea break by most of the coaches and support staff conveying their praise for how well he had bowled.
The grounds that fell to him were both left-handers with Travis Head coming out with a sensational catch reflex from Rahane and Nic Maddinson attempting a sweep to no avail. But his spells on Monday (December 7) were very reminiscent of those he cast at the Adelaide Oval two years ago to prepare for the Test for India.
Umesh Yadav bowled with good rhythm and generated movement © Getty
A day earlier, Pujara had started along the same lines as his defeat to Adelaide in 2018. He was solid on defense, as expected, but he also gave a masterclass on how to judge the rebound from a pitch and then decide wisely. What balls to leave alone He also made the most of every scoring opportunity the Australians offered. And while he’s not the captain of this game, you can see Tim Paine behind the stumps experiencing a terrifying and sinister deja vu. It was happening again. However, the dismissal of Pujara, caught in the ravine of the leg, could go in either direction. It will mean that the Australians will attack their ribs a lot early in their innings. It will also mean that you will have a chance to put your eye in further, as your stumps and pads will not be focused enough. He also appeared to form a very “similar” partnership with Hanuma Vihari, who also played just as well, before being awarded as lbw. He also showed signs that he was still unhappy with his preparation, spending most of lunch chatting with hitting coach Vikram Rathour. Then he also helped Vihari with some tips on how to ride the bounce before posting it to the networks. He also didn’t mind getting some advice from Pant after leaving, and smiled when the aggressive goalkeeper suggested that the best way to deal with the Australians’ rib attack was to play a hard-hitting whip rather than throw it. the corner.
However, the standout innings came from Rahane, who, as he has done in the past on Australian soil, decided to go on the counter attack. There were a couple of plays and misses, but the quality of his drives was as good as it has been in a long time. It was a coup of authority, the kind I needed to make a score as the man in charge of this Indian team.
And you could see the team rally around him every time he hit a boundary, cheering
“Ajju bhai, lage raho … .Ajju bhai kya baat hai … “.His energy was most palpable when Rahane played James Pattinson’s top cut that went by six to lift his half century.
The catch he took from Harris, meanwhile, will only increase that confidence. Rahane was also very proactive in terms of how he used his bowlers and the fields he set for them. Besides Ashwin on Day 2, the most important thing on Day 2 would be Umesh’s discipline and consistency. With Ishant Sharma now ruled out, Vidarbha’s pacemaker remains the most experienced of all and it would be an advantage to Adelaide’s XI player if he continues to pitch in this manner. Pant’s was the loudest voice in the Indian wardrobe on both days. Energy levels briefly spiked as head coach Ravi Shastri and bowling coach Bharat Arun made their way to the Drummoyne Oval. And they made sure the umpires could hear his displeasure when an appeal for trapped behind Maddinson’s gate was rejected.
Now, with the older members of the touring group raising their hands, the stage is set for one of the younger players to take the lead on Tuesday (December 8).
© Cricbuzz
