New Delhi: Mitchell Starc picked up a five wicket haul to restrict India to 117. Another game of overcast and swinging conditions where Starc and company milked most out of the situation and wrecked havoc in Vizag. Strac ended up with the figures of 53/5 while Sean Abbott and Nathan Ellis picked three and two wickets respectively.
It was a battle between Mitchell Starc’s trademark inswinging deliveries and Indian batters playing it across. Virat Kohli scored 31 off 35 and Axar Patel’s heroics in the end helped him to a run-a-ball 29*.
Starc began by dismissing Shubman Gill off a loose shot, which landed in the hands of Marnus Labuschagne at point. Coming back in the fifth over, he bowled a scrambled seam delivery to Rohit Sharma, which was caught by Steve Smith in the second attempt in slips as he departed for 13(15). On the very next ball, the Australian pacer showed an action replay of Suryakumar Yadav’s lbw dismissal from the previous game.
WOW!! Steve Smith, what a grab ?
India are FIVE down! #INDvAUS
Live match centre: https://t.co/LXGrkQy5JJ pic.twitter.com/tLjSiXaZnJ
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) March 19, 2023
It was followed by Starc dismissing KL Rahul at 9(12) with an inswinger. In the next over, Sean Abbott got Hardik Pandya as Steve Smith caught a one-hand stunner in the slip and India stood at 49/5.
Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja tried to make a comeback as Kohli was scoring boundaries since the beginning of his inning. Their 22-run stand was short lived as Nathan Ellis trapped Kohli lbw with a straighter delivery.
Left handers Jadeja and Axar Patel laid a 20-run partnership and Ellis got Jadeja with Alex Carey taking the catch behind the stumps. Playing well, Ravindra Jadeja was dismissed for 16 off 39 and he would regret playing that shot.
With Sean Abbott picking Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammed Shami consecutively, Axar Patel went on with offence and hit two sixes against Starc before he dismissed Mohammed Siraj.
Shami and Siraj will have a lot to do with the new ball, but with a small total like 117, the game is in Australia’s favour clearly.
