Australia vs India 2018-19: 5 Unnoticed things from the 2nd Test Match

A Test victory that eluded Team India for years was finally fulfilled with authority at Adelaide. For the first time, Team India had won the first match of a Test series in Australia. The victory was indeed special for players and fans alike.

An upbeat Team India was ready to take on the hosts at their new home ground for the second match. The nature of wicket at the new Optus Stadium in Perth took the centre stage, days before the match. The drop in wicket was termed to be fiery, bouncier so much so that curator opined the match to get over by the fourth day.

Australian captain Tim Paine won the toss and decided to bat first. The grass on the wicket didn't live up to the billing. Also helped by the inconsistent length of Indian bowlers with the new ball. The out of form opening pair of Aaron Finch and Marcus Harris put up a 100 run stand to dominate the proceedings.

But, soon Jasprit Bumrah helped India make inroads and the hosts kept losing wickets until the lower order came to the party again. Australia somehow posted a good score of 326 runs on the board.

In reply, India had a horrible start like every time. Both the openers Murali Vijay and KL Rahul were dismissed within the first spell. It was the modern master Virat Kohli's masterclass century of 123, that helped India inch closer to the total. Despite the brilliance of Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane, India conceded a lead of 43 runs.

Batting was getting difficult with every passing session and Australia once again started strongly to push the game away from India. Bumrah kept it real tight whenever he got the ball in hand. It was late brilliance of a six wicket-haul from Mohammed Shami, that restricted Australia from scoring at will. Still, Australia did put up a huge total of 287 on the board for the visitors to win the match.

As if the pitch already had fewer demons in it, opener KL Rahul proved he had more in his minds. India tottered in chasing the total down. Hanuma Vihari looked more solid than other batsmen but got out in an unfortunate way. Soon it was a procession. Australian bowlers ran through the Indian tail and wrapped it up.

Here are the five unnoticed things from the match.

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#1 Unwanted bowling record by Indians against tailenders

There is a huge amount of praise for Indian fast bowling attack in recent times. Pundits have spoken very highly about their skills and craft. But, the inability to skittle the opposition tailenders cheaply is still a blot on the clean resume.

It is not something new for Indian bowlers. When India toured South Africa earlier this year, the likes of Vernon Philander and Kagiso Rabada scored freely against India. When India toured England, the lack of skill to wrap up the tail quickly has coated India the series. The likes of Sam Curran, Stuart Broad, and Adil Rashid scored plenty of runs against Indian bowling attack to take the match away from India.

This pattern speaks volumes about the lack of planning and execution in the Indian bowlers. When India played against Australia in Perth, It was seven Test matches in a row where they allowed the opposition No. 8 to 11s to contribute 75+ runs in the match. A captain's nightmare indeed.

#2 Bumrah has the highest wickets by Indian pacers after first 8 Tests

Jasprit Bumrah was lethal again

The surprise inclusion of Jasprit Bumrah in South Africa has proven to be the best decision India made in its 2018 cricketing journey. Bumrah, who was tagged as an effective limited overs bowler, proved that it is never about the format but the skill levels and adjustments to the game.

From the time he made his debut for India in whites, he is on a roll. His unorthodox action helps him to get his angles correct and probes the batsmen to play at them.

The fact that Bumrah is continuously improving and adding new skills to his bowling shows how much he is into it. Now that he has added an outswinger to the right-handed batsman, he is proving more lethal to play. His success in the longest format is reflective of his records.

Bumrah now holds the records for highest wickets (39) after playing first eight Test matches for an Indian. In the process, he has surpassed the great Venkatesh Prasad (37 wickets), S Sreesanth (37 wickets), and his current teammate Mohammed Shami (31 wickets).

#3 Shami records the fourth-best figures by an Indian bowler in Australia

Mohammed Shami

Australia seemed to be running away with the match on Day Four. Usman Khawaja and Tim Paine were looking well set to take lead past 300.

But Mohammed Shami turned the match on its head with a lethal fast bowling spell. He first dismissed captain Paine (37) with a nasty bouncer and the very next ball he had the opener, Aaron Finch. The retired hurt Finch could only last one ball on Day Four.

Soon Shami scalped Nathan Lyon and ended the innings with bowling figures of 6/56, which happens to be the fourth best figures for an Indian pacer in Australia. The list being headed by the great Kapil Dev, who had eight wickets at Adelaide in 1985. This is followed by Ajit Agarkar’s 6/41 at the same venue in 2003, which scripted a memorable win for Indians on Australian soil.

Former paceman Abid Ali with figures of 6/55 during the 1977 tour is third. Shami's effort helped Team India to bundle out the Aussie innings little earlier than anticipated.

#4 Kohli holds the record for most Test hundreds in a losing cause by a captain

An unwanted record for Kohli

The best thing about Virat Kohli is that he loves challenges and responsibilities. From the time he has taken over the captaincy in Tests, Team India has registered many series victories. Although there are various second thoughts about Kohli's abilities as a captain, he is gradually proving everybody wrong. His contributions have time and again helped Team India to dominate the opposition.

Unfortunately, the overseas fortunes for Virat Kohli as a captain still remain same as other Indian captains in the past. Although he has richly contributed with his bat, the team hasn't been able to register a series victory outside the subcontinent.

His fighting century at Perth was another such instance where it didn't help India win the Test match. He now holds the record for most Test centuries (6) in a losing cause. The previous record was held by the West Indian great Brian Lara (5 centuries) and the legendary Steve Waugh (4 centuries).

#5 Virat Kohli became the second-fastest player to reach 25 Test tons after Don Bradman

Virat Kohli was exceptional again

The class and consistency of Virat Kohli has made him a legend already. The efforts he put in his game are showing results for Team India in a great way. The manner in which Kohli is playing, he is drawing comparisons with the greats who have played the game. He is a run machine in the true sense, churning out centuries for fun.

Not only in one format, but Kohli has also stamped his name across all formats of the game. More so in the One-day international format. His score of 123 in the second Test match at Perth made him the first Asian captain to score a century in South Africa, England, and Australia in the same calendar year.

Along with that, Virat Kohli became the second fastest to reach 25 Test centuries only after the legendary Sir Don Bradman (68 innings). Kohli took 127 innings to get his 25 centuries whereas the master blaster Sachin Tendulkar has taken 130 innings to reach the feat.