India captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and chose to bat first in the day-night second Test against Australia at the Adelaide Oval. India comes into this match with momentum, having secured a dominant 295-run victory in the first Test at Perth. However, Australia remains a formidable opponent at this venue, where they have a perfect record in pink-ball Tests, winning all seven they’ve played.
Rohit Sharma, back in the squad after missing the first Test for the birth of his second child, commented on the conditions, noting that the pitch seemed balanced with both dry patches and a good grass covering. “There will be something in it for everyone,” Rohit said optimistically.
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Despite winning the toss, India faced early setbacks. Yashasvi Jaiswal was dismissed for a first-ball duck by Mitchell Starc, trapped LBW. KL Rahul made 37 runs off 64 balls before he, too, fell to Starc, caught by Nathan McSweeney. Virat Kohli managed only 7 runs before being caught by Steven Smith off Starc’s bowling, leaving India in a precarious position at 77/3. Shubman Gill was the next to depart, scoring 31 runs off 51 balls before being trapped LBW by Scott Boland. By the end of Day 1, India was struggling at 82/4, with Rishabh Pant unbeaten on 4 runs.
India made one notable change to their lineup, bringing in Ravichandran Ashwin in place of Washington Sundar, while Dhruv Jurel and Devdutt Padikkal were left out. On the Australian side, Scott Boland replaced the injured Josh Hazlewood. Australian captain Pat Cummins admitted they would have liked to bat first but felt confident in utilizing the pink ball, which often provides more movement under lights.
Teams:
Australia:
- Usman Khawaja
- Nathan McSweeney
- Marnus Labuschagne
- Steven Smith
- Travis Head
- Mitchell Marsh
- Alex Carey (wicketkeeper)
- Pat Cummins (captain)
- Mitchell Starc
- Nathan Lyon
- Scott Boland
India:
- Yashasvi Jaiswal
- KL Rahul
- Shubman Gill
- Virat Kohli
- Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper)
- Rohit Sharma (captain)
- Nitish Kumar Reddy
- Ravichandran Ashwin
- Harshit Rana
- Jasprit Bumrah
- Mohammed Siraj
With the pink ball playing a key role, Australia is well-positioned to exploit the conditions, while India will aim to stabilize after a difficult start.
