Jobaaj Stories
Australia's bowlers have been on top during the first day of the Test match against India at the SCG. India, struggling at 134 for 7, has found it difficult to score runs as Australia's pace attack, led by Scott Boland and Mitch Starc, put constant pressure on the Indian batters.
The first breakthrough came when Starc dismissed Ravindra Jadeja, who was trapped in front of the stumps by a full delivery. Jadeja had been battling hard but was unable to avoid the LBW decision after playing around his front pad. He lost his review, and replays showed the ball would have hit middle stump. This left India further in trouble at 134 for 7.
Soon after, Rishabh Pant's long stay at the crease ended when he tried to pull a short ball from Scott Boland but mistimed it. Pant, who had faced 98 balls for his 40, holed out to mid-on where captain Pat Cummins took a simple catch. This dismissal ended Pant's painstaking knock.
In the very next over, Boland struck again, dismissing Shreyas Iyer for a golden duck as he edged the ball to the slips. Although Boland narrowly missed out on a hat-trick, his brilliant bowling was praised, and the crowd applauded his effort. India was now 120 for 6, reeling under pressure.
Pant’s struggle with the pull shot against pace has been a talking point. Shubham Agarwal, a member of the stats team, pointed out that this was the third time Pant had been dismissed playing the pull shot against fast bowlers in his career. Despite this, Pant’s resilience earlier in the innings showed that he was trying to curb his natural attacking instincts.
Scott Boland’s performance has been exceptional. His accuracy and consistency have been a masterclass in fast bowling, with barely any deliveries off line. He was a major factor in India’s decline, creating constant problems for the Indian batters. Even though Boland might not always make the starting XI when all players are fit, his contribution in this series has been invaluable.
Mitch Starc also played a crucial role, increasing his pace to 147kph, testing Pant and Jadeja with a series of bouncers. Starc’s aggressive approach has left the Indian players struggling to cope with the uneven bounce of the SCG pitch. His bouncer to Pant, which left him bruised on the bicep and then hit him on the helmet, showed his ability to keep the Indian batters on edge.
Australia’s bowlers have been relentless, making India work hard for every run. At tea, India was 107 for 4, with Pant and Jadeja still at the crease. The Indian team needs to find a way to fight back if they hope to stay competitive in this match.
With the match heading into the second session, India will need more solid partnerships to avoid a collapse, and the pressure is certainly mounting on the remaining batters to fight for survival.
