Australia pacer Mitchell Starc dismantled India with a five-wicket haul in the first innings of the day-night Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 in Adelaide on Friday, December 6. Veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin became Starc’s fourth victim after a brisk 22-run knock, while Harshit Rana marked his fifth.
Starc set the tone early by dismissing Yashasvi Jaiswal on the first ball of the match. He followed up by removing KL Rahul and Virat Kohli, derailing India after a promising 69-run partnership between Rahul and Shubman Gill for the second wicket.
As wickets tumbled, India found some stability through Nitish Reddy and Ashwin, but Starc struck again, breaking the stand by dismissing Ashwin. A searing inswinging yorker from the left-arm pacer landed on middle stump, catching Ravichandran Ashwin off guard with its pace and trapping him lbw.
The umpire promptly raised his finger, but Ashwin opted for a review. Replays confirmed no bat was involved, and the ball was destined to hit the stumps, forcing Ashwin to take the long walk back to the pavilion. You can watch the video here:
https://x.com/thtpakistaniguy/status/1864947108584866191?s=46
Mitchell Starc maintained his red-hot form, dismissing Harshit Rana with a brilliant delivery to claim his five-wicket haul. At the time of writing, India were 153/8, with Nitish Reddy and Jasprit Bumrah at the crease.
Ravichandran Ashwin’s Absence in Perth Test
Despite being one of the finest spinners in cricket, Ravichandran Ashwin often struggles to secure a spot in India’s playing XI in SENA countries. For the first Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 in Perth, the management chose Washington Sundar over Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.
Sundar performed reasonably well in Perth, taking two wickets and scoring 33 runs across two innings. However, Ashwin was recalled for the ongoing Adelaide Test to utilize his experience with the pink ball.
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