India had a 56 percent chance of victory when play began on day three. (AP Photos)For the Indian cricket team and their die-hard fans, the possibility of a bright morning turned into a horrific nightmare after Australia decimated the visitors in a 35-ball spell on day three of the pink-ball Test at Adelaide on Saturday. The relentless pace bowling of Australians Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins dismissed India for its lowest-ever score of 36 runs in test matches on an extraordinary third day of the first Test at Adelaide Oval on Saturday.
India resumed on the third day with the scorecard reading 9/1 with an overall lead of 62 runs. Mayank Agarwal was unbeaten on 5 while Bumrah had yet to score. While nightwatchman, Jasprit Bumrah was dismissed in the second over, it all went down south from there.
Cheteshwar Pujara was the first recognised batsman to fall with Cummins getting enough movement to get the edge.
But it was the introduction of Josh Hazelwood that turned the game on its head as he snared Mayank Agarwal and Ajinkya Rahane in one over. The extra bounce in the wicket, extracted by Hazlewood, undid India as none of its batsmen could reach double figures.
🗣 “That’s high class again from Hazlewood!”
A 🦆 for Rahane and India have lost 4/0! #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/kUWlOAMxSh
— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) December 19, 2020
To make matters worse, India captain Virat Kohli fell to Cummins in the following over, leaving India at 19/6 after 14 overs. India’s scoreboard is the fewest runs at the fall of the 6th wicket in Australia since 1887.
Adelaide Test, December 2018 – Pat Cummins removes Virat Kohli caught at gully for 3.
Adelaide Test, December 2020 – Pat Cummins removes Virat Kohli caught at gully for 4.#AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/fmFPT2JvMY
— Nic Savage (@nic_savage1) December 19, 2020
Hazlewood bowled another double-wicket maiden and was on a hat-trick when he removed Wriddhiman Saha and Ravichandran Ashwin off successive deliveries before Umesh Yadav averted the hat-trick ball.
Hanuma Vehari guided India passed the ignominy of New Zealand’s lowest ever score of 26 runs in a test innings with a boundary off Cummins before Hazlewood completed his five-wicket haul by having the batsman caught behind.
Quite remarkably, at the start of the day, India had a 56 percent chance of victory. That has fallen to 11 percent in 40 minutes of play.
(With AP inputs)