India vs Australia, 3rd Test: India get a taste of own medicine

Kuhnemann & Co dismiss hosts for 109 on treacherous turner


INDORE: India were hoist by their own petard on the first day of the third Test. It had to happen, eventually, this falling-in-one's-own-trap thing, this inability to avoid a predictable snare of one's own making.

Captain Rohit Sharma was acutely aware of this and even spoke about it a day before this Test, about "what has happened to them (Australia) in this series could happen to us, because of the (turning) pitches". On Wednesday, the first day of the third Test, it did.

Rookie left-arm orthodox spinner Matthew Kuhnemann's first five-wicket haul (5/16 off 9 overs) and Usman Khawaja's hard-working 60 ensured Australia ended Day One 47 vital runs ahead after, on a raging turner which offered more help in the morning session, Australia's spinners ran rings around India's batsmen.

The Holkar Stadium wicket was prepared to India's expectations - dry, diabolical at times even, offering turn, keeping low, behaving as it wanted, much like the traffic at one of Indore's many chaotic roundabouts.


Instead of serving only Ashwin and Jadeja, however, the pitch chose to yield its treasures also to Australia's tweakers. Nathan Lyon (3/35 in 11. 2) and the redoubtable Todd Murphy, who foxed India's best batsman on the day, Virat Kohli (22 off 52), also had their moments.


All this unfolded over a bizarre, electrifying and breathless turn of events in the morning which saw India lose 7 wickets for 84 runs in 26 overs, all to spin, and then get all out shortly after lunch for 109 in 33.2 overs.

When Australia batted after them, the pitch seemed to have calmed down, something India's batting coach Vikram Rathour attributed to "early morning moisture" among other factors. India, however, were inspired enough by Australia's performance to open the bowling with Ashwin and Jadeja, though both struggled with their lengths.


India were completely outplayed in two sessions by Australia for the first time in the series and made to grind hard for wickets post-tea. As usual, Ravindra Jadeja, who was batting within the first hour in the morning, was on point with ball in hand (4/63 off 24 overs), picking up all four Aussie wickets to fall.

At stumps, Australia were 156/4 and clearly having the upper hand, although the late dismissal of Steve Smith off a beauty from Jadeja kept things interesting heading into Day Two.

The Aussie batters applied themselves better, largely avoiding the pitfalls which had plagued them in Delhi, and India's spinners had too few runs to defend. Some in-out fields facilitated easy singles, enabling Marnus Labuschagne and Khawaja to put on a 96-run second wicket partnership which would have given India the jitters.

Rohit's double reprieve

It all began in spectacular fashion in the morning after India opted to bat. The returning Mitchell Starc managed to kiss the edge of Rohit Sharma's bat first ball, but the Aussies didn't review since Nitin Menon refused to lift a finger.Replays showed an edge.


Fourth ball, Starc got Rohit out again, sneaking one in through the inside edge and brushing the back pad along the way. Replays showed the ball would have been hitting the stumps, and still there was no review!

Day of DRS bloopers
It was a hard day for both cricketers and umpires, and the bloopers with the DRS continued when India took the field. India struck gold with a referral of Travis Head, then went gung-ho and simply gave away two reviews in desperation. Then they didn't take the review when Ashwin finally appeared to have breached Labuschagne's defences in the 11th over, prompting captain Rohit Sharma to break into a wry smile when he saw the replays on the big screen.

These DRS blunders cost India in what is likely to be a low-scoring affair. To add insult to injury, Marnus Labuschagne (31 off 91) was dismissed by Jadeja for only 7 off a no-ball, an incident which seemed to deflate Rohit Sharma's men for the good part of an hour.

Aussie spinners show the way

When India batted, Kuhnemann was the pick of the lot as soon as spin was introduced in the 6th over of the day, bowling some good old-fashioned left-arm spin and letting the pitch do the rest. The unexpected turn and bounce induced Rohit to step out and get beaten. Gill poked at one turning away from him when looking to defend, and the low bounce and slow pitch took care of Shreyas Iyer.

Murphy got the resolute Kohli for the third time in three Tests.