Bangalore Test, day 4: How the Kangaroos crumbled

Published : Mar 07, 2017 18:17 IST

Photo: AFP

Ishant Sharma struck the first blow, dismissing Renshaw in the fifth over. Renshaw couldn’t help but nick to Saha an 85mph delivery that angled in, taking off from a crack in the pitch.

Photo: AP

Once again, Warner got out to Ashwin. Ashwin, coming around the wicket, pitched it marginally outside off. The ball straightened, missed Warner’s sweep, and struck his pad. The DRS showed the impact of the ball on the pad was only marginally in-line. But that was enough to send off the dangerous Warner.

Photo: AFP

Umesh ensured that the older Marsh, who anchored the Aussies in the first innings, didn’t hang around much in the second. The ball, pitched short of length, hit a crack, took off, and rapped Marsh’s pads. Marsh offered no shot. Marsh and his skipper, Steve Smith, the non-striker, were convinced that the ball would’ve gone on to clip the stumps. Except, as the replay showed, it wouldn’t have.

Photo: AP

Smith, shuffling and skipping, was anchoring his team, at 28 runs, when Umesh, coming over the wicket, pitched one short. It was a grubber. Smith didn’t see it. Very few would have. It was low, very low, almost hit his boot. Smith didn’t want to go, he didn’t want to waste a review either. He looked at the dressing room for help. The umpire didn’t appreciate that, Virat Kohli had a few words to say, and Smith, his slyness defeated, walked off.

Photo: PTI

The ball pitched way away from off-stump and Mitchell shuffled across to play it. But then, the ball deceived Mitchell; it sprung and turned, arresting his stroke and kissing his gloves before falling into short leg Karun Nair’s palms.

Photo: AP

Pitched outside off to the left-hander. And Ashwin had been turning it a mile from there. Wade played for the turn, but this time, the ball went straight through. It hit Wade’s inside edge and lobbed in the air towards short-leg. But no one was there. No worries, Saha put on a Jonty-esque dive to pouch it safely.

Photo: K. Bhagya Prakash

It was a topspinner and Starc, playing for the turn, missed it. The ball easily breached Starc’s defence and shattered the stumps.

Photo: AP

Straight. No turn. Low bounce. The ball, sneaking past O’Keefe’s defence, hit the mic on the middle stump. Young Peter Handscomb, at the other end, was witnessing a landslide.

Photo: K. Bhagya Prakash

The way Peter Handscomb was batting hitherto, he could’ve defended this. But he was running out of partners. Only Nathan Lyon and Josh Hazlewood remained. Enough was enough. He jumped out and tried hitting the ball high and far. It travelled high, not far, and made a soft landing into Saha’s gloves.

Photo: K. Bhagya Prakash

Ravichandran Ashwin to Nathan Lyon. One off-spinner to another. Tossed up, pitched outside off, drawing a drive. Lyon, beaten in flight, drove into Ashwin’s hands to complete India’s win.

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Ishant Sharma struck the first blow, dismissing Renshaw in the fifth over. Renshaw couldn’t help but nick to Saha an 85mph delivery that angled in, taking off from a crack in the pitch.
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