5 takeaways from India's massive win over Australia in 1st Test
India won by an inning and 132 runs in the 1st Test to take a 1-0 lead over Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. It was a complete performance from the Indian side as they were the better side from Day 1 of the Test match.
With just two wins away from a second consecutive World Test Championship spot, India had multiple positives to take from the game. The performances of Rohit Sharma, Axar Patel, and Ravindra Jadeja with the bat and the overall performances of the entire bowling unit were the biggest positives for India. However, the poor form of senior batters Virat Kohli and K.L. Rahul remains a cause of worry for the hosts.
It was a poor performance from the Australian batting unit as they failed to cross even the 100-run mark in the second innings. Apart from Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne, most Australian batters didn't seem to have the necessary temperament against the world-class spin duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin.
On that note, let us discuss the top five takeaways from India's massive win versus Australia.
#1 Rohit Sharma strikes a superb century
Rohit Sharma ended an almost one-and-a-half-year wait for a Test century as he brought up his 9th Test ton, his 1st as captain. The Indian skipper seemed to be batting on another pitch as compared to all the other batters, he perfectly mixed aggression and caution to take India out of a position of bother at 168/5 to ensure that India have a substantial lead in the second innings. Rohit Sharma's form will augur well for India's fortunes in the forthcoming ICC World Test Championship and World Cup matches.
#2 Ravindra Jadeja returns with a bang for India
st #INDvAUS Test 
Excitement of comeback 👌
Story behind recovery 👍
Happiness to wear #TeamIndia jersey once again 😊
All-rounder @imjadeja shares it all as India gear up for the 1⃣st #INDvAUS Test 👏 👏 - By @RajalArora
FULL INTERVIEW 🎥 🔽
bit.ly/40tKX5a https://t.co/F2XtdSMpTv
Ravindra Jadeja returned to Indian colors in some style as he starred with both bat and ball to win the Player of the Match Award. After missing competitive cricket for more than four months due to knee surgery, Jadeja returned with a point to prove.
He was at his lethal best with the ball in both innings as he picked up a total of seven wickets in the match, giving away just 81 runs in 34 overs. The left-arm spinner picked up a fife-fer on the 1st day of the match.
With the bat too, Jadeja (70 off 185 balls) showed his class as he scored a vital half-century to ensure that India batted Australia out of the match with a quality half-century in testing conditions.
However, he will look to avoid several no-balls that he bowled over the course of the game, something that deprived him of the prized scalp of Steve Smith in the second innings, thereby allowing Smith to carry his bat home.
#3 Ravichandran Ashwin - Too hot to handle for the Aussies
Australia were wary of the threat that Ravichandran Ashwin posed, well before the series, as they roped in a net bowler with an action similar to that of him to help them prepare for his wizardry. However, most of the Australian batters seemed to have no answer to Ashwin as he picked up a total of eight wickets in the match, including a 5-fer in the second innings.
In his 27.5 overs, the Indian veteran gave away just 79 runs, thereby ensuring that the Australian batters never got away. Even with the bat, Ashwin (23 runs off 62 balls) made a fine contribution as the night watchman.
#4 Axar Patel and Mohammed Shami make handy contributions with the bat
Mohammed Shami (37 off 47 balls) played a fine cameo toward the end of the Indian innings, propelling India to a score of 400. Shami made excellent contributions with the ball too on a rather unresponsive wicket for the pacers.
In 13.3 overs, Shami gave away 31 runs, picking up 3 wickets. Axar Patel (84 runs off 174 balls) on the other hand made an excellent half-century, to give India enough runs to win by ian innings
The youngster would be disappointed to miss out on a century but will move into the upcoming matches with a lot of confidence. With the ball, however, he still looked a level below the seasoned pair of Ashwin and Jadeja.
#5 Poor Test form of Virat Kohli and K.L. Rahul continues
In a match full of positives for India, the biggest worry will be the poor form of Virat Kohli and K.L. Rahul in Test match cricket. Their recent numbers in Test cricket are indeed a cause for concern. K.L. Rahul (20 off 71 balls) looked comfortable during his stay on the wicket, posting a 76-run opening stand with Rohit Sharma. However, he failed to make it count, falling for a rather soft dismissal.
K.L. Rahul will be very disappointed in throwing away a good start and will look to make amends in the upcoming matches. On the other hand, Virat Kohli too stroked a couple of excellent shots in his short innings but fell on the first ball after lunch after being strangled down the leg side off a Tedd Murphy delivery.
Virat Kohli will be furious at getting out on what was a very poor delivery. King Kohli and Rahul will be eagerly waiting to make amends in the next match.
With that, we conclude our article on five takeaways from India's massive win over Australia in the 1st Test. Can you think of any other takeaways for India from this match? Let us know in the comments section below.