It looks like India cricket team captain Jasprit Bumrah’s decision to bat first in IND vs AUS 5th Test in Sydney has back fired. Bumrah, who replaced Rohit Sharma as skipper for the last Test of Border-Gavaskar Trophy, had no hesitation in opting to bat first after winning the toss at the SCG. The result – India were reduced to more than half their side down by the third session on Day 1. Was it a wise decision to do so? Perhaps not.
Did India do right thing by batting first at SCG?
The surface for IND vs AUS 5th Test at Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) was very much unlike what it was on India’s previous trip to Down Under. The pitch had more presence of grass and enough cracks to help the bowlers more than the batters. Not to forget, the overcast conditions were perfectly favourable for the bowlers, with even the commentators suggesting it was a toss that Australia wouldn’t mind losing. Here’s where the pertinent question pops up – was Bumrah right in choosing to bat first or was it simply a big blunder?
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India started off on a disastrous note, losing KL Rahul for just 4 runs as Mitchell Starc drew the first blood. His partner Yashasvi Jaiswal departed soon after, leaving India in a perilous position. While Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli managed to fight back after the early setbacks, the former threw his wicket away at the stroke of lunch, gifting Lyon a wicket. Virat was the only batter to depart in the 2nd session, with his outside off-stump issues costing him his innings yet another time. Pant and Jadeja managed to fight back valiantly. However, after getting hit 12 times on his body, Pant ran out of patience and was dismissed by Boland. Nitish Kumar Reddy, India’s hero at the MCG, was sent packing for a golden duck. Starc struck once again to trap Jadeja for an LBW, reducing India down to seven wickets in the third session.
