'KL, Gill showed good intent in Adelaide' - Cheteshwar Pujara opens up on India's batting on Day 1 of Pink-ball Test

'KL, Gill showed good intent in Adelaide' - Cheteshwar Pujara opens up on India's batting on Day 1 of Pink-ball Test. (Photo Source: Getty Images & Star Sports)

India's struggles in the Adelaide Pink-Ball Test against Australia were evident on Day 1, but Cheteshwar Pujara found a positive aspect in the performances of KL Rahul and Shubman Gill. The duo looked comfortable during a series of batting collapses and took the team out of a tricky position.

Winning the toss and opting to bat, India faced a nightmare start when Mitchell Starc dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal with the very first delivery. However, Rahul and Gill steadied the innings with a crucial 69-run stand for the second wicket. Despite their start, their dismissals, Rahul for 37 and Gill for 31 was the beginning of yet another batting collapse as India were bundled out for 180. Pujara, reflecting on the innings, mentioned about the duo's approach. 

"Their intent was really good. They were quite positive. They forced the bowlers to move their length because they were pitching it up. They played really well, but they forced the Aussie bowlers to go back off length and that's where I think we didn't tackle that well. Most of the dismissals from our top order, apart from Yashasvi, KL got out to a ball which was rising a bit, and Virat got out to a ball that was back of length. He wasn't decisive whether to play or leave that ball, and Gil got out to a fuller ball," Pujara told ESPNCricinfo.

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We didn't tackle the back of the length balls well: Pujara

However, the middle order’s inability to capitalize on this start led to India’s woes. Pujara expressed concerns about the team’s struggles with back-of-length deliveries, a pattern that was evident in the dismissals of players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. 

"So we didn't tackle the back of the length balls well, which is the key, especially with the new ball. With the pink ball and I felt that that middle order could have batted a bit better," he added.

Starc’s 6/48 spell exploited the conditions brilliantly, exposing the Indian lineup. Even a brief knock from Nitish Kumar Reddy (42) and Ravichandran Ashwin (22) couldn’t prevent a collapse.

As the day ended, Australia was comfortably positioned at 86/1, trailing by just 94 runs. Jasprit Bumrah’s dismissal of Usman Khawaja was India’s sole wicket of the day, but the hosts appeared in control. As Day 2 began, Bumrah gave the visitors early breakthroughs by dismissing, Nathan McSweeney and Steven Smith. 

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