The good news is the team management has enough time on hand to think through the defeat and to find answers to the questions Adelaide has thrown up, around both its batting and bowling before the next test begins.
If you want to sum up the reasons for India's 10-wicket defeat in the pink ball Test in Adelaide, it is this: India batted a mere 81 overs across two innings.
The emphasis seemed more on the much-hyped 'intent' to dominate than on playing per the dictates of the conditions and the match situation, with the result that a team that won the toss and opted to bat first on a ground where historically teams batting first have scored in excess of 300 found itself rolled for a mere 180 in 44 overs -- and effectively, from that point on, Australia were out in front and India kept falling behind.
It didn't take long for Australia to complete the formalities on Sunday morning.
In his spell, Mitchell Starc bowled only one good delivery -- and Pant was, unfortunately for him, at the receiving end of that before he had time to get set.
Pat Cummins shrugged off the lassitude which seemed to envelop him in Perth, used the short ball to great effect in a spell of vicious fast bowling and destroyed any vestige of hope India possibly had to make a fight of this.
Australia had a mere 19 runs to get, and the home side finished things off in 20 deliveries with a minimum of fuss.
The only bright spot for India is the form of Nitish Kumar Reddy with the bat. In four innings thus far, Reddy has top-scored in three (and was not out in the second innings in Perth).
In each of those three innings, he fell playing extravagant shots only after he was left with the tail for company.
Reddy's talent is undoubted; equally obvious is the fact that he is batting way lower than his ability demands.
The question is, how do you move him higher up in a crowded top order, where you have Rishabh Pant coming in at five and either of Rohit Sharma or K L Rahul batting at six.
That is just one of the questions India will have to solve between now and the third Test in Brisbane, which begins next Saturday, December 14, 2024.
The good news is, with this Test ending a full eight sessions before schedule, the team management has time on hand to think through the defeat and to find answers to the questions Adelaide has thrown up, around both its batting and bowling.
Prem Panicker discusses all the action from the third day of the Adelaide Test with Hemant Waje.
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