O’Keefe brings India down to earth
ABJECT SURRENDER India batsmen flounder a second time against the leftarm spinner, who returned best figures by an Australia bowler versus India with 12/70
India’s run of 19 unbeaten Tests came to an abrupt halt on Saturday as Australia beat them by 333 runs in the first Test to take the lead in the four-match series.
The writing was on the wall since the second session capitulation on Day Two, but after Steve Smith notched up his maiden ton on Indian soil, and the hosts had lost six wickets by tea, any hope for a miracle had vanished.
The last time Australia toured India in 2013, they were thrashed 4-0. They entered the series as underdogs given the contrast in the recent run between the two sides, but went on to inflict the second biggest defeat in terms of runs on the hosts at home.
O’KEEFE DOMINATES
Leading the pack was spinner Steve O’Keefe, who ended with figures of 6-35 in both the innings. On a pitch that was tailor-made for Indian spinners, the 32-year-old ran through the Indian line-up and ended with as many wickets as Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja combined to take, finishing with best figures in a match by an Australian against India.
Given that three innings had been wrapped up within just seven sessions of play, chasing 441 on this surface was always going to be tough.
Murali Vijay and KL Rahul gave early signs of the fate in store for India, both falling to deliveries that skidded off the surface to be trapped in front. Both reviewed the decisions, more in hope than conviction, but had to walk back eventually. It only wasted India’s reviews.
SHOULDERING ARMS
That brought captain Virat Kohli to the middle, and the way he shouldered arms to an O’Keefe delivery that straightened after hitting the deck, told India’s story in the match. They failed to read the surface, use it the way the Aussies did, and had no clue how to tackle deliveries that didn’t turn much. Five batsmen were trapped in front in the second innings while Kohli and Jadeja had their timber disturbed to utter dismay.
Even in the first innings, the difference between the two sides was the same; while O’Keefe got the edges, Jadeja and Ashwin saw their deliveries take vicious turn and beat the bat with the catching a big let down when they did forced batsmen to make mistakes.
LUCKY TON
Steve Smith rode on his luck to bring up his 18th Test century after he was dropped thrice on Day 2 and had a couple of lucky reprieves this morning, including a leg-before decision off Ravindra Jadeja, which was turned down.
Television replays suggested the Australia captain was plumb in front, but India, who were shambolic with their review calls in this match, didn’t have any reviews remaining.
But on a pitch where Indians looked like sitting ducks, credit has to be given to Smith for pacing his innings well and picking up 11 boundaries to help his side take the lead past the 400-mark. By the time he eventually fell to Jadeja, the hosts fate was sealed.