India ended decade-long wait for Test victory in Australia

GBnews 24 desk//

India ended their decade-long wait for a Test victory in Australia Monday when they bowled out the home side for 291 to clinch the first game of the four-match series by a nail-biting 31 runs.

The hosts were set a target of 323, a score never before successfully achieved in a fourth innings run chase at the Adelaide Oval.

Ravichandran Ashwin got the final wicket of Josh Hazlewood to finish with 3-92, while wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant equalled the world record of most catches taken in a Test at 11.

For Australia, Shaun Marsh made 62 and Tim Paine 41.

The last Test India won in Australia was at the WACA Ground in Perth in 2008, and the last one in Adelaide was in 2003.

While Australian lower-order and tail put up a brave fight, Virat Kohli-led India beat the home team by 31 runs to win the first Test here on Monday and took 1-0 lead in the four-match Test series.

Although Mitchell Starc scored 24, his poke off Mohammed Shami gave India their first wicket in the second session.

Rishabh Pant took his 11th catch of the match. Pat Cummins was the ninth man to get out as Jasprit Bumrah ended his 121-ball vigil as Kohli took an easy catch in the first slip.

Before lunch, India grabbed the key wickets of Shaun Marsh and Travis Head as they inched towards their first Test win on Australian soil in a decade, with the home team battling to stay in the game.

The hosts are chasing target of 323, a score never before successfully achieved in a fourth innings run chase at the Adelaide Oval.

They resumed the final day of the opening Test needing another 219 for victory with four wickets down.

Head added just three runs to his overnight 11 and when Marsh fell for 60 to leave the Australians 156 for 6, the odds shifted heavily in India’s favour.

But by lunch Australia had fought to 186 for 6, still needing a further 137 runs for victory, with skipper Tim Paine not out 40 and Pat Cummins on five.

Mohammed Shami had 2 for 40 and Ravichandran Ashwin 2 for 71.

Marsh and Head started cautiously, grinding out 11 runs in the opening seven overs before seamer Ishant Sharma struck with the score on 115, bowling a bouncer that caught Head’s bat as he tried to fend it off and Ajinkya Rahane took the catch at gully.

Paine joined Marsh and they upped the ante, capitalising on some loose balls from Shami to steadily chip away and close the gap.

Marsh brought up a valuable 50 – his 10th in Tests — with a boundary from a pull shot off spinner Ashwin.

It was a much-needed knock for the left-hander, who was on a run of six consecutive single-figure Test scores, although he has been in scintillating form in domestic cricket.

But he didn’t last much longer with Jasprit Bumrah getting the big breakthrough as Marsh pushed at a perfectly angled delivery, getting a faint edge to Rishabh Pant behind the stumps.

Cummins, whose highest Test score is 50, survived two big reviews within four balls, with the technology both times going in his favour to keep Australia in the hunt.

Australia has been a tough place for India to tour. They have never won a series here and have tasted victory in only five matches in more than 70 years.

The last Test they won in Australia was at the WACA Ground in Perth in 2008, and the last one in Adelaide was in 2003.