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India will go to Adelaide for the second Test on the back of a stunning win in Perth. Few people anticipated that India would lead the series 1-0. In order to hope that the formidable combination of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc would overwhelm the Indian batting, Australia was astute enough to schedule the Border-Gavaskar Trophy start in Perth, one of Australia's fastest wickets. However, things did not go as expected since the difficult bowling conditions were fully exploited by the bowling attack led by Jasprit Bumrah. Despite being knocked out for 150 in the first innings, India's outstanding bowling performance made it feel like 300.
Virat Kohli and Yashasvi Jaiswal, two generations of Indian cricket players, then added to the suffering by smashing hundreds to put the hosts on the back foot. The bowlers then deceived the mentally exhausted Australia, and India won by a thumping 295 runs.
Sunil Gavaskar on Australian 'scaremongers'
Veteran cricketer Sunil Gavaskar was ecstatic when India comfortably defeated the Australians. Gavaskar was pleased that India's powerful performance in Perth had managed to silence the Australian "scaremongers."
"What a splendid win, one of the best I have been privileged to be present at. All the boasts about how the pitch is going to be pacy and bouncy and scare the living daylights out of the Indian batters were exactly that — the boasts of a bully. Mind you, it wasn’t the Aussie players but their support staff in the media, both electronic and print, who were trying to be scaremongers," Gavaskar wrote in his column for Sportstar.
According to Gavaskar, the Australian camp is in a panic following the victory in Perth. The 75-year-old star questioned Josh Hazlewood's mysterious exclusion from the Australian squad for the Adelaide Test and pointed out how his post-match conference following the Perth setback suggested potential cracks in the dressing room.
"The panic in the Australian ranks is palpable, what with former players calling for heads to be chopped off and some even hinting at cracks in the Australian team after Josh Hazlewood’s media interview at the end of the third day’s play, where he suggested that it was up to the batters to now do something. Now, a few days later, Hazlewood is out of the second Test and possibly the series too with a supposed side strain. Strange, that, since nobody had noticed anything wrong with Hazlewood at that media conference. Mystery, mystery — the like of which used to be common in Indian cricket in the past. Now it’s the Aussies, and like old McDonald, I’m simply loving it," he concluded.
