Second Test: Gilchrist Highlights Rohit's Front Foot Issues Leading to LBW
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Adelaide, Dec 6 (NationPress) Adam Gilchrist, the former Australian wicketkeeper, has observed that Rohit Sharma, the captain of India, had his front foot stuck, which ultimately led to his lbw dismissal off Scott Boland on the first day of the pink-ball Test at the Adelaide Oval.
Rohit, who was absent in the opening match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series held in Perth, made a return to the middle order after a gap of six years but couldn't make a significant contribution during India's troubled first innings.
With Hazlewood sidelined due to an injury, Boland was the only change in Australia's playing XI.
"Hazlewood was Australia's standout bowler in Perth, but Boland stepping in as his substitute is a respectable choice. He is tall, yet one might wonder if the ball would have hit the stumps had Hazlewood been playing. Boland has the skill to skid the ball effectively, which he demonstrated here. Rohit Sharma's front foot was stuck, and that's a significant observation," Gilchrist commented during the broadcast.
At the Dinner break, India found themselves struggling at 82/4 in 23 overs, with Rohit and Rishabh Pant at the crease.
After the break, Boland made his mark by delivering a fuller ball that caught Rohit in the crease, going past his inside edge to trap him lbw. India could have been six wickets down if Nathan McSweeney had held onto a catch offered by Pant when he was on five runs.
Pant managed to add 16 more runs before a rising delivery from Pat Cummins took the shoulder edge of his bat, leading to a catch in the gully. Ravichandran Ashwin struck some impressive boundaries off Marsh and Cummins, but Starc dismissed him lbw with a top inswinging yorker and bowled Harshit Rana with another inswinger.
As wickets fell rapidly, Reddy initiated a remarkable counter-attack. After executing an off-drive off Cummins for four, Reddy hit Boland through mid-off for another boundary. Following a lofted six over deep extra cover off Starc, Reddy unleashed on Boland with a series of reverse scoops, flicks, and pulls for two sixes and a four. However, Australia continued to make breakthroughs, with Cummins getting Jasprit Bumrah to edge to first slip, and Starc concluded the innings by having Reddy caught at mid-off.
India was all out for 180 in their first innings after choosing to bat first. Starc ended with impressive figures of 6-48, marking his first five-wicket haul against India in Tests, and his fourth (in 13 matches) with the pink ball, the highest by any fast bowler.
