IND v AUS 2020: Australia have a little bit of an advantage after late wickets on day one - Cheteshwar Pujara
Cheteshwar Pujara feels Australia have a slender advantage after they took three late wickets to peg India back on day one of the first Test match in Adelaide.
After winning the toss and electing to bat first, India were cruising at 188/3 before Virat Kohli's run-out allowed Australia back into the contest.
The Aussies took two more wickets with the new ball, and India eventually ended day one on 233/6. Cheteshwar Pujara conceded after the day's play that the visitors let slip a dominant position after the wicket of Kohli.
However, Cheteshwar Pujara still felt that the game was evenly poised going into the second day's play.
"There was a stage where we were in a dominating position but after losing Virat and Ajinkya they have a little bit of an advantage. I still feel we are evenly placed in this Test match," Pujara said.
This is what Test cricket is all about - Cheteshwar Pujara after India collapse
Cheteshwar Pujara scored a hard-fought 43 off 160 balls, laying the platform for Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane to take advantage of the softening ball. And they did just that, sharing an 88-run partnership and making the Aussies toil.
But a mix-up between the two led to Kohli's run-out just before the new ball was due, which Australia used to their advantage.
"When you have a big partnership, if it is more than 50 runs or if it is close to 100 runs, it always sets up a platform for the other batsmen to put the team in a commanding position. There was a time when we were 190 for 3 so I felt that that was the position we wanted to be in. But this is what Test cricket is all about. When you lose a couple of wickets, the opposition has a bit of an advantage. But again if we score runs tomorrow morning, we will be in commanding position. So you have to just respect this format," Pujara continued.
Ravichandran Ashwin and Wriddhiman Saha will resume batting on day two with India hoping to get near to the 300 run mark.
Australia, on the other hand, will be targeting early wickets as they look to keep their 100% record in Day-Night Test matches intact.