India
Reuters employees
(Reuters) – Josh Hazlewood gave up five for eight while Australia outscored India for their lowest innings score in 88 years of test cricket, eliminating the tourists for 36 at the start of the third day of the first test overnight Saturday.
India started again 9-1 at Adelaide Oval and could only add 27 runs before Mohammed Shami let go of injury to finish their second innings, leaving Australia to lose. ‘needed just 90 to give them a 1-0 lead in the four-game series.
Australian openers Joe Burns and Matthew Wade had cut 15 runs off that target before the tea break gave some relief to the shell visitors.
Pat Cummins played in with a 4-21 when he and Hazlewood put on a spy display of distance bowling to deal a strong blow to India’s hopes of repeating their maiden test series in Australia two years ago.
It was the lowest innings score in India in 544 Tests dating back to 1932 and only four teams have managed fewer runs in the long history of the form.
“Everything went according to plan, I think the way Patty started it was unbelievable to knock down the two big wicks and I followed suit,” said Hazlewood, who on a hat-trick at one level of his devastating spell.
None of India’s batsmen, including captain Virat Kohli, managed to get into double figures as wickets fell steadily throughout the evening.
Shami’s injury was a double blow for tourists, which came when a short ball from Cummins hit him on the arm, as the astronaut was unable to bowl in the second innings in Australia.
India will take a shower on his suitability for the second Test in Melbourne on December 26, especially as they will also be without Kohli for the rest of the series while the captain returning home for the birth of his first child.