Rahane brings Ashwin early
The game-defining moment came in the eleventh over of the first inning with Ajinkya Rahane’s play and Ravichandran Ashwin’s poignant response. It showed that Rahane had got two things right: reading the conditions and his respect for Ashwin’s abilities. For a team that has been wrong to read the field in the past (remember Lord’s 2018 when the rain meant the team launch and announcement were carried over to Day 2 and they still had two spinners), this was refreshing. Faith in Ashwin was also no less significant. The off-spinner might be the fastest set on 350 proving grounds, but he himself admits he’s been “hurt” by questions about his performances abroad. Rahane’s movements solved both puzzles at once.
Ashwin’s answer
Ashwin, of course, was more than ready to try. Speculation about his engagement in England in 2018 had really hurt him. “I am a true stray dog. If you push me down, shoot me, kill me with a knife, stab me, I’ll still wake up for a fight, ”he had told Cricbuzz earlier this year. He is a man with broad interests beyond gambling who, in the recent past, seems to have reinvented himself as a brand in the Tamil-speaking world with his YouTube shows. However, above all else, he is a spinner who takes pride in his art; He had prepared meticulously for this series, from making plans for individual hitters to the amount of excess spin he needed in his deliveries. He crushed Australia’s counterattack plans by eliminating Matthew Wade before doing the dumb job by firing Steve Smith. From then on, Australia lagged behind.
Rookies Mohd Siraj and Shubman Gill have been impressive at MCG. (AP)
Leaders in the field
Rahane was the captain who led from the front, but India had many leaders on the field in the second test. Ashwin was prominent among them. From being the chief speaker during a team meeting to taking rookie Mohammed Siraj under his wing, the senior official was always involved. During Australia’s second inning on the third day, when Siraj returned for a new spell, Ashwin had a long conversation with the rookie. Siraj leaned along a ball towards Travis Head and the latter hit it for a second slide, away from his body. It felt like Ashwin had gotten ahead of himself. Siraj finished the game with five wickets, more than making up for Umesh Yadav’s absence in the second inning. Shastri attributed the youngster’s success to his bowling discipline.
Pujara wears out Australians
After the match, Ashwin posted a group photo on Twitter. He had Jadeja, Umesh, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rahane and Jasprit Bumrah alongside him. “When your back is against the wall, lean back and enjoy the support of the wall !! Congratulations to the entire team and what a great victory, ”said the publication, with a special mention to Siraj, Shubman Gill and the members of the group photo. Pujara obtained 17 and 3 in this Test. On the other hand, the two hours he absorbed in the first innings, especially on the second morning, when cloudy skies and a lively pitch made batting conditions very difficult, were significant. Pujara wore out the bowlers. So, Rahane took over.
Ajinkya Rahane walks from the field with his teammate Ravindra Jadeja (Source: AP)
Jadeja accepts the challenge, literally
Sanjay Manjrekar had called him a “pieces and pieces cricketer.” That was during the World Cup in England last year. Entering the Melbourne Test, Ravindra Jadeja had a batting average of 53.57 in the last two and a half years. The management of the Indian team knew his quality as a hitter and included him as a replacement for Virat Kohli. And if there was any doubt about Jadeja’s ability to handle the short ball in Australia, the southpaw put him down with a stroke of the pen on the second day. Mitchell Starc made a back part of a length and Jadeja, on tiptoe, dropped it almost at his feet. It was a fascinating piece of cricket; something any top hitter would have been proud of. Jadeja’s 57 and his 121-run partnership with Rahane took the game away from the hosts.
Rishabh Pant and Ravichandran Ashwin celebrate Day 1 (BCCI)
Pant, beyond the numbers
On the second day, with India at 116/4 and the game delicately balanced, former Australia fast shooter Merv Hughes received a comment on the ABC rostrum as to which team had the advantage at the time. “Australia is one terrain away from a command position, India is 25 minutes away from a command position,” Hughes responded. In fact, the game started to change in the next half hour, after the drinks are broken to be precise. Rishabh Pant took on Australia’s best bowler of the day, Pat Cummins, collecting two and a couple of fours in a row. He snatched the initiative from India. At the post-match press conference, India’s head coach Ravi Shastri spoke about the value of Pant’s cameo, going beyond dry numbers: 29 out of 40. Behind the stumps, Pant was a live wire, yelling advice at bowlers and occasionally getting under the skin of Australian batsmen, especially Wade.
Highlight:
.
