IND vs AUS Border-Gavaskar Trophy: Everything is happening in Adelaide! Aussie pacers bounce back after Indian batters Gill and Rahul provide a firm start in the pre-lunch session

IND vs AUS Border-Gavaskar Trophy: India will face the Aussies in the second test at Adelaide, which marks the only day/night test in the series and will be played with the unique pink ball. 

The pink ball is considered one of the most unconventional playing assets in the game of cricket due to its unpredictability and unusual behaviour. So was predicted by Australian batter Steven Smith as well, who is the most experienced cricketer to have faced the pink ball. 

Indian skipper Rohit Sharma, who made his comeback after having missed the opening test, won the toss and elected to bat first for India. Indian openers KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal looked promising and confident to start the inning. 

However, Mitchell Starc had some other plans in his head, as Starc pitched on a full-length delivery to dismiss Jaiswal for a golden duck on the first delivery of the game. 

KL Rahul and Shubman Gill built a good partnership for the second wicket.

KL Rahul was offered the opening spot alongside Jaiswal after his convincing performance at the top in the absence of skipper Rohit Sharma. 

After Jaiswal’s dismissal, Shubman Gill batted alongside Rahul to pull off a stunning 69-run partnership, which seemed to have taken control of the Indian innings. The likes of Scott Boland and Pat Cummins were taken for granted and hit for multiple runs by the two batters. 

Mitchell Starc removed Rahul and Kohli in his second spell.

Australian veteran pacer Mitchell Starc was steaming in with the pink ball and seemed to pose some threat to the Indian batters. Coming back with his second spell, he bowled a perfect delivery to use KL Rahul’s aggression to dismiss him getting caught to McSweeney at gully. 

After that first over, he also dismissed veteran batter Virat Kohli with an absolute ripper of a delivery that made Kohli double-minded on whether to play or leave the ball, eventually getting him caught at second slip to Steven Smith. 

Virat Kohli was dismissed by Starc for 7-runs (Image Credit: X)

Boland has the last laugh against Gill

Nobody expected the skipper, who demoted himself down the order to No. 6, to come out to bat so early in the first session of the match before lunch. 

However, when Scott Boland dismissed Shubman Gill with a full-pitched delivery that swung back sharply into the right-hander, thus he was dismissed LBW, as India was 81/4 before lunch. 

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