IMAGE: Australia pacer Mitchell Starc celebrates with teammates after dismissing India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal leg before wicket with the first delivery of the 'Pink ball' second Test in Adelaide on Friday. Photograph: ICC/X
Mitchell Starc struck thrice as India were reduced to 82 for 4 at the tea break on the opening day of the ‘Pink ball’ second Test against Australia in Adelaide on Friday.
Rishabh Pant and captain Rohit Sharma, having dropped himself down the order to accommodate K L Rahul at the top were at the crease, batting on 4 and 1 respectively, at the break after a mini collapse in the first session, which saw 23 overs being bowled.
Yashasvi Jaiswal, who scored a fine century in the first Test, was out for a duck to the first ball of the match, while his opening partner KL Rahul was dismissed for 37.
Starc dismissed opener Rahul (37 off 64 balls) and Virat Kohli (7 off 8 balls) in quick succession to turn the tide Australia's way. That was after a 69-run stand between Rahul and Shubman Gill (31 off 51).
It got worse for India when Scott Boland trapped a well-set Gill plumb in front with a full deliver on the stumps.
India lost their last three wickets in the first session for 12 runs.
It was a rather dramatic start to the proceedings after India opted to bat on a pitch with decent grass cover.
Jaiswal, who played a knock to remember in his opening Test in Australia a couple of weeks ago, was out first ball as he missed a fuller delivery from Starc that swung back just enough and was adjudged leg before wicket.
Gill, coming back to the side after recovering from a thumb injury, batted with supreme confidence from the get-go while Rahul changed gears after needing 21 balls to get off the mark.
Four out of five fours from Gill's bat came off Starc, who was guilty of bowling a tad too full or short at times. The highlight of Gill's innings was the off-drive and cover drive off the left-arm pacer.
Rahul, at the other end, would have gone back without scoring had Boland not overstepped with the first ball of his spell. Known for relentlessly attacking the off-stump, Boland induced a faint outside edge from Rahul's bat. The batter was walking immediately but soon it was adjudged a no-ball.
After opening his account, Rahul started playing aggressive. The highlight of his knock was the copy book cover drive off Boland.
India were on course for a productive first session until Starc got rid of Rahul and Kohli in successive overs with short of length balls that rose sharply on the batters to have them caught in the slips.
Gill was the last to be dismissed in the session as he missed an attempted flick off Boland and was trapped in front.