IND vs AUS: The opening day of the Day-Night Pink Ball Test in Adelaide proved to be a difficult one for India, with Australia positioning themselves strongly after bowling the visitors out for a modest 180 runs. Despite the seemingly challenging scoreline, India’s assistant coach, Ryan ten Doeschate, remains optimistic about the Rohit Sharma-led team’s chances of turning the match around.
IND vs AUS: “Still in the game,” feels Ryan ten Doeschate
Ten Doeschate’s confidence stems from a belief that minor strategic adjustments can help India claw back into contention. “I know that the scores look like there is a big gap between the two teams, but we still feel we are in the game,” he stated after the match during the press conference. The Dutchman suggested that minor tactical tweaks could potentially shift the momentum in India’s favour.
Nitish Kumar Reddy: The Superstar
The coach was particularly complimentary of young allrounder Nitish Reddy, praising his performance in the previous Test and explaining the rationale behind his addition to number seven. Ten Doeschate highlighted Reddy’s impressive debut, noting his massive contribution of getting India close to 150 runs in Perth and expressing confidence in the player’s potential.
“We’re so chuffed with him,” he remarked. “I think getting us to 150 in that first game was amazing. Just the way he went about his work. He is obviously playing his first pink-ball game. There’s a little bit of work to do. He’s very raw… He’s done everything a young player could do in a very short space of time and we think he’s got a very high ceiling.
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What did Mitchell Starc say after Day 1 of 2nd IND vs AUS Test?
Mitchell Starc emerged as match-winner for Australia, delivering one of his best Test spells that set the tone for the day. The left-arm pacer secured his first five-wicket haul against India, including a wicket off the very first delivery of the Test by dismissing Yashasvi Jaiswal. Starc’s approach of attacking the stumps and continued his love affair with the pink ball.
The final session under lights saw Nathan McSweeney and Marnus Labuschagne bat brilliantly, scoring 62 runs off 133 deliveries despite facing challenging conditions. Starc acknowledged the difficulty of batting during this period and praised his teammates for their resilience under pressure.
“It’s a good way to finish the day,” Starc said. “A good day all out. But inarguably, the hardest time to bat is that third session with the brand new pink ball. So, to finish the day one down, particularly from Marn and McSweeney, to fight through sustained pressure from a quality bowling attack and to come out the other end. We have a chance to go on tomorrow; it was fantastic from them. Obviously, a fair bit of outside noise. Very pleased for them.”
Mitchell Starc Test stats
Mat | Wickets | BBI | BBM | Ave | SR | 5 | 10 | |
Career | 91 | 364 | 6/50 | 11/94 | 27.73 | 48.6 | 14 | 2 |
Pink-ball Tests | 13 | 71 | 6/66 | 9/97 | 17.94 | 34.9 | 4 | 0 |