Win Projections to be updated soon
Team India pulled off a historic victory against Australia in the first Test in Adelaide. The visitors dominated the hosts in the major part of the game. Cheteshwar Pujara was the star for India as he played a gritty knock of 123 runs in the first innings that took India to a respectable total.
India was struggling at 127/6 in the first innings but Cheteshwar Pujara stood firm and batted beautifully with the tail. Not only he scored a century but also showed every other batsman how to bat in testing conditions. His superlative effort took India to 250. Additionally, he scored 70 in the second innings that laid the foundation for the victory.
The skipper Virat Kohli was elated with the win and called Cheteshwar Pujara’s contribution as priceless. He hailed the grit of the No.3 batsman who brought the team back in the game after a poor start on day 1.
“Priceless from Pujara, we were down and out at lunch on day 1. His grit and determination brought us back in it. We always knew that runs on the board would make the home side tentative. Any lead was gold and we got 15. In the second innings again, he and Rahane batted well,” said Kohli in the post-match conference.
Also Read:Â India takes a 1-0 lead over Australia in a gripping final day in Adelaide
Lower middle order needs to contribute more
Despite the victory, one thing that remains a cause for worry for India is the contribution of the lower middle-order. Once the middle-order got out, the lower order hardly contributed anything. In the second innings, India lost the last 5 wickets for just 25 runs. On the other hand, Australian bowlers went on to score decently in both the innings.
“I think our lower middle order and lower order could have done better. We could have added another 30-35 runs more which could have taken the game totally beyond Australia,” added Kohli.
Stay updated with all the cricketing action, follow Cricadium on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
