2 mistakes and 1 masterstroke by Team India on Day 1 of the 3rd Test vs Australia
Team India endured a disappointing start to the third Test against Australia in Indore on Wednesday, March 1.
After winning the toss and electing to bat, India were rolled over for just 109 as Matthew Kuhnemann picked up five wickets. Virat Kohli was the top-scorer in the innings with his 22. In response, Australia took a promising 47-run lead by the end of the day's play, with six wickets still intact.
Rohit Sharma and Co. will know they need a serious turnaround to salvage the contest. Here are two mistakes and one masterstroke made by the hosts in the third Test against Australia.
#3 Mistake - India's DRS calls were woeful
Rohit Sharma and Co. burned all three of their reviews in the 54 overs Australia batted on Day 1, and some of their decision-making was horrific otherwise too.
Ravindra Jadeja set the ball rolling by getting Joel Wilson's not-out decision against Travis Head overturned, but it was a false dawn for the hosts, who would lose all three of their reviews off the left-arm spinner's bowling. Usman Khawaja and Steve Smith were the batters in question, with none of them even being remotely close.
To add insult to injury, they didn't review an LBW shout after Ravichandran Ashwin rapped Marnus Labuschagne on the pads early in the innings. The ball-tracker showed three reds, but the Aussie batter survived the scare to put together a crucial partnership with Khawaja to put his team in the ascendancy.
#2 Masterstroke - India's team changes were spot on
India didn't have much going their way on Day 1 of the third Test against Australia. It wouldn't be a stretch to claim that their best moment of the day came when captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to bat.
The hosts made two changes to the side that beat the Aussies in Delhi, with Umesh Yadav replacing Mohammad Shami and Shubman Gill replacing the under-fire KL Rahul at the top of the order. While Gill made his team's second-highest score of 21, Umesh contributed 17 quickfire runs.
Performances aside, it was the right call from Rahul Dravid and the team management. Rahul looked totally bereft of confidence in the middle, and Shami's workload needs to be managed carefully as Jasprit Bumrah continues to struggle with his back injury.
#1 Mistake - The hosts' batting display was shambolic
There was significant turn right from the first session on Day 1, more than was on offer in Nagpur and Delhi. However, the hosts didn't do themselves any favors by playing some irresponsible shots throughout their innings.
Rohit Sharma danced down the track to be stumped by Matthew Kuhnemann. While his intentions were right, the opener was thoroughly deceived by the dip and turn. Following his dismissal, none of the batters from either side even attempted to venture out of the crease.
Cheteshwar Pujara, Ravindra Jadeja and Shreyas Iyer were dismissed attempting forceful shots through the off-side, while the others fell victim to soft dismissals.
The Aussie batters, on the other hand, showed great application and poise to bat out 54 overs for the loss of just four wickets. Khawaja and Labuschagne were beaten frequently, but they hung in there and didn't try anything extravagant. They certainly made batting look easier than the host batters.