Indian batters fail the pink ball Test on Day 2 in Adelaide

In the puddle that Australia has put India into at Adelaide, the team needed the senior players to rise to the occasion. However, at stumps on Day 2, the grave seems to have gone deeper for the visitors in the second Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy. Travis Head emerged as the biggest hurdle for India yet again as the Kangaroo came up with a blazing ton. However, four wickets from Bumrah and Siraj each finally put an end to the Australian innings at 337. Getting to bat under the lights, the Indian top-order fumbled like playing cards as Australia lived up to their unmatched reputation with the pink ball. Moreover, perched in the middle order for this contest, skipper Rohit Sharma provided no respite to the dwindling batting lineup.

Indian batting order stages yet another disappointment in the Adelaide Test

As a seething Siraj finally got rid of Travis Head, with the batter at 140 off 141, India managed to wrap up the opponents at a total of 337. Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul came to bat in the third session as India prepared to defy the 157-run lead imposed by the Kangaroos. Despite picking a golden duck in the opening innings, Yashasvi Jaiswal looked confident in his strike as he faced Starc. However, things took a turn for the worse as the Australian captain, Pat Cummins, dismissed KL Rahul early in the innings.

Jaiswal, while overcoming Starc's threat for a while, saw the semblance of a promising knock dashed when Scott Boland dismissed him on the first ball of his spell. Virat Kohli joined Shubman Gill at the crease, carrying the hopes of the fans for a revival in the match. While Kohli remained steadfast in his ability to leave the outside-off-stump balls, he eventually fell to his vices. In a replay of his first-innings dismissal, Kohli edged a delivery by Boland into the gloves of Alex Carey, as his knock concluded at just 11 off 21.

Gill, though looking in nice touch, could not survive the king of the pink ball as Starc hit the timber. Next came Rohit Sharma, who did not have the fortune to join the proceedings later, owing to his batting position in the middle order. With India in the pit, Sharma could not revive his form yet again as he lasted only 15 balls. Pat Cummins matched Starc's exploits as he tricked and claimed the Indian skipper for a lowly 6, with a delivery that angled in. Rohit had been equally ineffective in the first innings, scoring only 3 runs before being dismissed by Scott Boland.

Nitish Kumar Reddy, the only Indian batter to have put up an impressive performance at Adelaide, then joined Rishabh Pant. While Pant has many hopes riding on his back, it is almost an insurmountable task to pull the team out of the pit. At the close of Day 2, India were 128/5, trailing by 29 runs. Rishabh Pant (28*) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (15*) remain at the crease, with India still hoping for a recovery in the third innings.