IND vs AUS 2020: Winners and losers at the end of Day 1
Day 1 of the India vs Australia Test ended with the hosts slightly ahead after India scored 233/6.
After India won the toss and batted first, Virat Kohli’s men started slowly but grew into the game as the day progressed. The Australians fought back later, with a massive miscommunication between Kohli and Rahane also working in their favor.
Several players from both India and Australia gave a good account on Day 1 and will aim to build on their solid showings. However, many failed to make an impact and will look for a chance at redemption. From Prithvi Shaw’s poor start to Tim Paine’s DRS woes, here are the players who performed well, and the ones who didn’t, on Day 1.
India vs Australia: Losers from Day 1
Prithvi Shaw
The youngster was already under pressure as he walked out to bat. Many questioned his selection ahead of Shubman Gill and KL Rahul. The opener lasted just two balls and was dismissed for a duck by Mitchell Starc. One again, Shaw’s technique and temperament attracted unwanted attention.
Many criticized Prithvi Shaw after his dismissal, and the 21-year-old’s poor shot selection at the start of the Test match will surely attract scrutiny.
Tim Paine
Despite the Australian bowlers doing a great job on Day 1, the skipper's captaincy was passive. Although he recovered and grew into the role as the day went on, his struggles with DRS were once again laid bare for everyone to see.
Tim Paine continued his horror run with DRS. He opted to not take a review for a caught behind when Virat Kohli was batting at 16, despite replays showing the India captain had gloved the ball.
Ajinkya Rahane
The India vice-captain was having a solid showing till Virat Kohli’s dismissal. Then things went downhill for Ajinkya Rahane. He first made a bad call for a single which got a set Virat Kohli run-out, before getting dismissed himself a few overs later.
Rahane (42 of 92 balls) failed to make the most of his good start and was LBW off Mitchell Starc, as India were left in a precarious position of 196-5.
India vs Australia: Winners from Day 1
Virat Kohli
While Tim Paine’s captaincy left a lot to be desired, Virat Kohli led from the front on Day 1.
The batsman negotiated a tricky spell early on and made the most of his second chance after Tim Paine’s DRS blunder. The India skipper was confident at the crease and showed great resolve to counter the threatening Australian bowlers.
Virat Kohli notched up his 23rd half-century by the 3rd session and also ended up scoring the most runs against Australia by an Indian captain. However, Virat Kohli’s hard work came undone in the dying stages after a miscommunication with vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane led to him getting run out. The skipper trudged back to the pavilion after a well-made 74 of 180 balls.
Nathan Lyon
The wily Aussie off-spinner ended the day with figures of 21-2-68-1 but bowled much better than his figures indicate. Nathan Lyon was tight with his line and length throughout. He kept the ball outside off stump and invited the batsmen to drive the ball.
The bowler also picked the prized wicket of Cheteshwar Pujara for the 10th time in his career. Lyon could also have picked Kohli's wicket had Tim Paine reviewed the umpire’s decision.
Mitchell Starc
After failing to impress with the while ball, Starc came into his own with the pink-ball. The Australian dismissed Prithvi Shaw in the first over of the match and troubled the batsmen with his craftiness.
The left-arm pacer then came back late in the day with the new ball and dismissed Rahane with a peach. Starc ended the day with figures of 19-4-49-2 and will be looking to wrap up the Indian lower order at the start of Day 2.