India vs Australia, 1st Test: 6 Key Takeaways

After how the first day had played out, it didn't really seem that something like the end result would be the order of the day. India beat Australia soundly after a pretty close fight between the two teams.

It is slowly becoming evident that the Aussies are in a massive spot of bother ever since they've lost the services of Steven Smith and David Warner and on many occasions it was tough to recognize the team as an "Australian" team and is a very pale shadow of the mighty teams that have donned the baggy green in the past.

India, on the other hand, deserves full credit for hanging in there and fighting it out when the chips were down. Is it the best team to have toured for the last 15 years? We'll leave that debate for some other day.

For now, let's look at the key takeaways from the first test match.

#1 This is the new Australia, and it's scared

Conservative, restricted, not willing to take the attack to the opposition, this is the new Australia

There are two ways to look at the Australian run-rate throughout the match. One is that the Indian bowlers didn't allow the Aussie batsmen to get off the leash at any point in time.

The other was how Harsha Bhogle put it, "This is a team that wants to walk first before it can run, they don't think their batting line-up is the same as it was earlier and that's why it has adopted a somewhat "Unaustralian" approach to their batting."

All in all, it's the first time in a long time that the Australian team doesn't seem to back itself to win the game. The aggression has been replaced by conservatism and there is almost a sense of not really going after the moment rather waiting it out for things to happen.

#2 Finch under pressure

Maybe Finchy you could have reviewed that one as well

One batsman who would really be under the pump has to be Aaron Finch. It's been a long long time since he has actually put in a sizeable contribution to the team's total (Finch's last few scores in his last 11 innings have been 5,41,11,7, 27,0, 28, 0 and 11).

The shot that he got out to in the first innings of the Test was abysmal and even made Ricky Ponting question Finch's position in the team.

With D'Arcy Short also getting among the runs against the same side in the practice match, questions will now come in thick and fast if the string of failures continues any longer.

Even Ian Chappel has commented that Finch is the guy probably under the most pressure after the first Test and he's spot on.

Finch famously talked about a "Perform or Perish" model used by the Australian team in a press conference. It could end up making an example of him more than anything.

#3 The Indian pace attack is the real deal

In Ishant, Shami, and Bumrah India have a fast potent and strong bowling line up

The next Test match is in Perth, and while that would be a worry for the Indian batsmen, it would also be a cause of concern for the Aussie camp as well because while the off-spinner Nathan Lyon was by far the best bowler for the Australian team, the same can't be said for the Indian team.

Ashwin took 6 wickets in the entire match and was invariably helped out by the unrelenting pressure from the other end by the trio of Ishant, Bumrah, and Shami who bowled with pace and venom and themselves took 3, 6 and 5 wickets respectively.

This is probably the best bowling attack that India has ever fielded and, come to Perth, Australia themselves would vary of the kind of pitch they field.

#4 Pujara could be 'The Man'

Australia v India - 1st Test: Day 1

There was only one thing Tim Paine had to say about Pujara after the match, "He just doesn't give you any chance".

Which could be one of the biggest headaches for the Australian team in this series because if the first Test was any indication then this series is going to be decided by the finest of margins and if there is one batsman in both the sides who has shown the temperament to actually just stick around the crease for ridiculously long periods of time without any intention of throwing his wicket away then that has to be Pujara.

It was his innings and his composure that was the difference between India winning and India losing this match.

He has made some changes to his batting as well and brought in a few shots against the quicks which have helped him put a few away and keep the scoreboard ticking.

In a series of smaller margins, Pujara could be the guy the Indian batting revolves around

#5 There are chinks in the Indian armor

Someone really needs to sit with Rishabh Pant and have a chat about his game

India, for its part, is not a well-oiled machine either. The openers are still a huge cause of concern as, although they did put together a 50 run stand in the second innings, KL Rahul got out to a T20 shot while Vijay was again caught fishing outside off.

There are huge question marks on Rohit Sharma which would keep on intensifying whenever he doesn't score in this series. Rishabh Pant gets out playing rash strokes more often than not, and after Ashwin, the Indian tail is a walking wicket.

It's not smooth sailing for the Indian team either and they would really need to tighten the screws if they expect to win big in Australia and wrap up a dominant series victory, which should be expected of them.

#6 Perform or Perish for Rohit Sharma

A shambolic shot in the first innings and a second innings failure was probably not the way Rohit Sharma expected the first Test to pan out.

There are no two ways to put it - Rohit Sharma was under tremendous amount of pressure heading into this series. He has been afforded numerous opportunities at the Test level but his performances have just not been up to the mark.

To amplify the situation, Rohit played a horrendous heave against Nathan Lyon to lose his wicket at a crucial juncture in the first innings.

These things add up for sure and they are adding up for Rohit. This series would probably be the last time Rohit would be given a chance to resurrect his fleeting Test career and if he's not able to impress, that could be it for him as far as Test cricket is concerned