Australia thump India by 10 wickets to win the second Test

Australia secured a commanding victory over India by 10 wickets in the second Test at Adelaide Oval, levelling the five-match Border-Gavaskar series at 1-1.

On Sunday, the third day of the match, India resumed their second innings at 128-5, needing a strong performance to avoid defeat. However, they quickly faltered as Cummins and Starc capitalized on their vulnerabilities. Rishabh Pant was dismissed early on the third day, leaving India struggling to build partnerships.

Match Summary

• First Innings:

India: 180 all out

Australia: 337 all out (Travis Head scored 140 runs)

• Second Innings:

India: 175 all out (Nitish Kumar Reddy top-scored with 42)

Australia: Chased down a target of 19 runs without losing a wicket, finishing at 19-0 in just 3.2 overs.

Key Performers

• Pat Cummins: The Australian captain achieved his first five-wicket haul at Adelaide Oval, taking 5 wickets for 57 runs in the second innings, effectively dismantling India’s lower order.
• Mitchell Starc: Contributed significantly with a total of 8 wickets across both innings, including a remarkable performance of 6 for 48 in India’s first innings.
• Travis Head: Named Player of the Match for his explosive innings of 140 runs, which set the tone for Australia’s dominance.

This match marked Australia’s continued success in day-night Tests at Adelaide Oval, maintaining an undefeated record of 8-0 at this venue.

The teams will meet again for the third Test starting December 14 in Brisbane.

“That’s a great week. We were far from the team we want to be in Perth but this was good,” said Cummins post-match, whose side was well beaten in the series opener.

The Australian captain reserved special praise for Travis Head after his match-winning century.

“He loves batting here, again one of those momentum shifts, it could have gone either way when he walked out to bat,” Cummins said.

“The ball does a bit more under lights, but the big thing was getting a big lead.”