The Border Gavaskar Trophy victory hinges on the revival of Indian batters

The pink-ball Test in Adelaide has put things in perspective for India. There’s a lot for the visitors to get a hold of before they play the remaining three fixtures of the five-match Border Gavaskar Trophy. Things worked in favor of India in the opening clash of the series Down Under, and interim skipper Jasprit Bumrah made sure of it. Setting the tone for a victory in the Perth Test, Bumrah scripted a splendid fifer to leave the home team reeling at 104. Bumrah’s spell covered up the fact that the Indian batters had wrapped up the initial innings at a meager 150, bowing to Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc. However, it is not every time that Bumrah turns hero and mend the frailing ends of the team. 

To face a team like Australia at their den, India needs to be firing from all guns available to seal a favorable outcome. With just three matches remaining in the ongoing cycle, not only is the Border Gavaskar Trophy on the line, but India’s WTC Final qualification chances also rely entirely on this tour. Australia and India are engaged in a thrilling tussle for a spot in the ICC event, with both teams facing a significant threat from South Africa, currently leading the WTC standings.

A win by a margin as high as 295 runs showcases only the spotless side of any team, as happened with Team India. After Jasprit Bumrah built the platform for a win, Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, and Virat Kohli turned up with impressive knocks. Jaiswal smashed his maiden Test ton in Australia, while Kohli finally got to his 81st career hundred. Moreover, KL Rahul, opening the innings along with Jaiswal in Rohit Sharma’s absence, came up with a defining knock after a prolonged dry spell. With Bumrah’s brilliance and the batting order’s late redemption, India opened the Border Gavaskar Trophy with a victory.

Next, however, the team was put on trial early as they faced the day-night fixture in Adelaide. In the ten-day break between the two BGT Tests, India noted the positive returns of skipper Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill. With Gill defying his thumb injury, Dhruv Jurel and Devdutt Padikkal saw the bench, making way for the two mainstays. While Gill’s place remained the same, Rohit Sharma took a noteworthy decision to play in the middle order, giving KL Rahul his due by leaving the opening spot for him.

A series victory in Border Gavaskar Trophy? Not until the Indian batting order shows up

As the second Test kicked off at the Adelaide Oval, India followed a similar pattern of fumbling the opening innings with the bat. Jaiswal picked a golden duck as Mitchell Starc trapped him LBW on the very first ball of the match. It was not for KL Rahul to repeat his brilliance from Perth, as Starc made the pink cherry breathe fire on the Adelaide turf. While Rahul and Gill displayed a glimpse of top-order stability, it turned out to be a mirage.

After KL Rahul was dismissed by Starc with the score at 69-1, it didn’t take long for India to stoop down to 87-5. Kohli returned to his struggling form as he refused to hit the replay button on his Adelaide heroics. The change in position for Rohit Sharma didn’t amount to much, as the skipper continued to struggle in the format. The only impressive turnout came from the young Nitish Kumar Reddy, who hit 42 down the order to take India to a 180-run total.

Unlike in Perth, the team could not stage a comeback in the match. Scott Boland, replacing the injured Josh Hazlewood in the Australian playing XI, scripted brilliance under the lights. Even if the batters managed to survive Starc in the second innings, Scott Boland didn’t let them stay for long. The seamer claimed Rahul on the opening delivery of his spell, and Jaiswal followed soon enough. Kohli and Rohit Sharma failed the hopes of many yet again as the Indian batting saw no improvement. Nitish Kumar Reddy once again came up with 42; only this time, like the one before, no one stayed to support him from the other end.

India desperately needs the batting lineup to claim the onus in the Border Gavaskar Trophy. With what transpired in the Adelaide Test, it seems like not only the bowling department but the entire team keeps counting on Jasprit Bumrah to win a contest. However, it is never for a single player to complete the tasks of the remaining ten. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, the senior-most picks in the order, need to resurrect their form.

Moreover, Yashasvi Jaiswal is required to negate whatever is holding him back in the opening innings of the game. A coherent and all-round outing is what the team needs to reap a possible 4-1 or 3-2 record in the Border Gavaskar Trophy. Moreover, with the batters up the order not proving reliable enough, it is perhaps for the management to ponder whether Reddy should be given a cushion in Washington Sundar down the order.