India v Australia, 4th Test, Day 1 – 5 Talking Points

An impressive four-wicket haul from debutant Kuldeep Yadav saw India balance out the honors on the first day of the final Test against Australia. After having secured a closely fought draw in the third Test at Ranchi, the Aussie camp backed their chances of a historic series win as they landed in Dharamsala. With the conditions looking seamer friendly, the visitors certainly do hold an upper edge at the venue.

Having said that, one needs to note that the hosts were not going to give any free bounty. Amidst this backdrop, the focus shifted to the HPCA Stadium at the picturesque Dharamsala as the teams had everything to play on the day. Team India were jolted early in the match with their regular skipper Virat Kohli been ruled out of the all-important fixture. Ajinkya Rahane was the stand-in skipper for the match.

Australia won the toss and opted to bat first. After having lost Matt Renshaw cheaply, David Warner and Steve Smith added crucial runs to keep the hosts at bay. Smith went on to score yet another ton and Warner had to be content with a fifty. Soon, it was Kuldeep Yadav who ran through the Aussie middle order to bring India back to the game. The last bit of drama unfolded with Matthew Wade holding the fort from one end to score his fifty.

With 300 runs in their first innings, Aussies did well to have finished with a score like that, especially after struggling at 208/6 at one stage. Here are the 5 talking points from the day 1 play:

1. Early jolt to the hosts – Kohli ruled out, Umesh strikes early

The hosts had an early jitter even before taking the field on the day 1. Indian skipper Virat Kohli was ruled out of the final Test due to a shoulder injury he had sustained during the third Test. It was certainly a very well appreciated call made by Kohli to not take the field after being partially fit. Ajinkya Rahane walked out at the toss as the stand-in skipper.

India drafted in Kuldeep Yadav as a replacement in the side. Quite evidently, Kuldeep was definitely not a like for like replacement for Kohli. The team decided to play an extra bowler and the move did work well for them. Ishant Sharma also missed out on the action and had to make way for Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the lineup. Coming into the match, India managed to get an early breakthrough as Umesh Yadav managed to get through the defenses of Matt Renshaw in the very second over of the match.

2. David Warner strikes form, Steve Smith piles on the agony

If there was a big name in the Australian lineup who failed to make it big in this series, then it was David Warner. The hard-hitting opener was being tipped as one of the impact players before the series had commenced. However, the bat of Warner could not speak as loud as the expectations. With the final Test on the line, Warner chose the perfect time to get back to form. He batted along with Steve Smith to help Australia pile up runs after having lost Renshaw cheaply.

The duo added 134 runs for the second wicket and kept Indians wanting in the first session. Warner was dismissed by Kuldeep Yadav on 56 that came off 87 deliveries. Smith continued his splendid run in the series and scored yet another century. His magnificent run against the Indian side does not seem to have an end. He scored 111 off 173 deliveries before being dismissed by Ravichandran Ashwin.

3. Middle order debacle

When Smith and Warner had plundered a marathon run stand at the crease, the pitch looked like an absolute batting paradise. But soon after their departure, the Indian bowlers clawed their way back in the game. After having conceded close to 130 runs for just one wicket in the first couple of hours on the day, the hosts scalped as many as 5 wickets in the second session. Shaun Marsh, the man who had saved the previous Test for his side, could get just 4 runs on the day.

Umesh Yadav bounced him back to pavilion as all he could manage was a faint tickle. Peter Handscomb, the other man who had frustrated India at Ranchi, scored only 8 during his struggling stay at the crease. Glenn Maxwell hit a four off Kuldeep Yadav to break the shackles but ended up being cleaned up a couple of deliveries later. With the middle order failing big time, Australians look dead straight at a low score.

4. Matthew Wade leads the counter attack

At 208/6, things looked grim for the visitors. Matthew Wade had been at the crease for quite some time then and had seen a couple of wickets fall as he waited patiently at the other end. Wade soon decided to take things in his hand and lead the counter attack for the Aussies. He did not go out all guns blazing but ensured that he consumed 125 deliveries during his stay at the crease to frustrate the Indian bowlers and block the wicket falling spree.

He was well supported by Pat Cummins, who scored a valuable 40-ball 21. Wade and Cummins added 37 runs for the 7^th wicket, which certainly hurt the hosts. Wade went on to score 57 with 3 fours and a six before being bowled by Ravindra Jadeja towards the end of the day.

Watch: Australia mistake Matthew Wade’s milestone

Australian dressing room mistake Matthew Wade’s milestone. #INDvAUS

(Video – Star Sports) pic.twitter.com/dSOmyjdrG7

— Sai Kishore (@DivingSlip) March 25, 2017

5. Kuldeep Yadav has a dream debut

The last moment exit of Virat Kohli saw chinaman Kuldeep Yadav being drafted in the lineup. Yadav has been a big time performer in the domestic circuit and he did not take time to settle the terms at the highest level. He finished with figures of 4/68 in his debut innings and was the pick of the Indian bowlers on the day. He got the wicket of David Warner as he broke the century stand with a stock chinaman delivery.

He then ran through the Aussie middle order by dismissing Handscomb and Maxwell. A typical spinning delivery with scrambled seam got through the defenses of Handscomb. On the other hand, it was a wrong ‘un that managed to disturb the timber of Maxwell. He then dismissed Pat Cummins to complete his quarter of wickets.