2 mistakes and 1 masterstroke by India in the 2nd BGT 2024/25 Test vs Australia ft. Rohit Sharma's bowling changes
Australia won their eighth successive day-night Test at the Adelaide Oval as they hammered India by 10 wickets on Sunday, December 8. With the win, the Aussies leveled the series 1-1.
Rohit Sharma's return as captain coincided with a dreadful performance from India, who saw the coin fall in their favor but not much else. The hosts bowled them out in 89 overs across the two innings, showing how fragile India's batting was.
It's now back to the drawing board for the visitors, who are virtually out of the reckoning for the final of the World Test Championship.
On that note, here are two mistakes and one masterstroke made by India in the second Test against Australia.
#3 Mistake - Rohit Sharma's bowling changes and field placements were bizarre once again
In the first session on Day 2, India recovered decently to prise out a few Aussie wickets and give themselves a foothold in the game. However, Rohit Sharma bowled only four overs of Jasprit Bumrah in that session, of which only five deliveries were at Travis Head.
Head got settled, and once he did, he cut loose. None of the Indian bowlers, particularly Harshit Rana, were spared. Nitish Kumar Reddy, who could've taken some of the workload away from the other fast bowlers, was underutilized in the Test. And Reddy did take a wicket, he was immediately taken out of the attack.
Moreover, India's bowling plans to Head were bizarre. Rohit was perhaps put off by the short square boundaries at Adelaide, but the visiting pacers didn't try to unsettle the southpaw with some chin music while having catchers on the boundary.
Once Head was on a rampage, Rohit went into his shell completely as a captain. We've seen it happen many times before, and serious questions need to be asked of the Indian skipper.
#2 Masterstroke - Nitish Kumar Reddy's batting with the tail prevented further humiliation
Reddy, playing just his second Test, showed great maturity and application while batting with the tail. It would've been easy for him to go after every delivery, but he trusted his defense and selectively picked apart anything in his area.
Reddy was smart with his strike rotation, giving the fast bowlers at the other end only the last ball of each over to face. He accessed areas of the ground smartly, resorting to nudges and reverse scoops when necessary.
It may not have had a major say on the outcome of the game, but Reddy's rearguard efforts saved India from further humiliation.
#1 Mistake - India missed a trick by not picking Akash Deep
Harshit Rana retained his place in the Indian side ahead of Akash Deep, a decision that worked against the visitors in Adelaide. Rana went wicketless in the Test and leaked runs at well above five an over, preventing his team from gaining control over the contest.
Deep, as a skiddy bowler who gets movement in both directions, would've been a handful in the second Test. His around-the-wicket angles would've been Head's biggest challenge, but India chose not to go down that route. It proved costly in the end.