Sydney: Just a few feet outside the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), a familiar face was sitting on the bench facing the iconic venue. With no one around him, he continued to gaze at the sky, where clouds and sun continued to play hide and seek in the afternoon session, and was spending a few moments by himself as not a long time back, his son Nitish Reddy was dismissed for a golden duck by Scott Boland. Mutyalu Reddy had moist eyes and a look of disappointment, but gave a thumbs up for that “it’s all part of the game” assurance.
The first innings at MCG and SCG were a stark contrast as the fantastic hundred in Melbourne was followed by a golden duck in Sydney. It takes nothing away from the terrific run the youngster has had in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy and was a reminder of the class of opposition’s bowling attack. At both ‘Gs, there was one constant – a relentless Boland who gave nothing away. The experienced workhorse was one of the most economical bowlers during the Boxing Day Test and continued in similar fashion during India’s first innings of the New Year Test.
Ball-after-ball, the 35-year-old kept pinging the 7m mark and never left the fifth-sixth stump corridor while bowling to both the left and right-handers. There was a nice grouping on either side of the wicket and it reflected in the bowling figures of the right-armer. An economy rate of under two ensured India were made to work very hard on the opening day of the fifth and final Test.
It was cloudy for most of the day and the overnight rain meant the outfield felt a bit heavy and there was some sort of dampness in the pitch at least for the morning session. The green tinge ensured bowlers were in play for most of the period and what made batting more difficult was when the sun came out post-Lunch and baked the upper layer of the surface to add more spice to it.
Twenty five overs were bowled in the second session and Australia allowed India to score just 50 runs. Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant battled for a little over six overs but the former was dismissed in the manner he was nearly out first ball. Had the third-umpire ruled in favour of Australia for the catch, it could have been a gloomier morning for the visitors who surprisingly chose to bat first on the strip which offered a lot to the bowlers throughout the day.
And, the group mentality of Australia’s bowling attack, backed by an accurate fifth bowler in Beau Webster, never allowed India the release overs they would have liked after the ball lost its shine. Only 15 boundaries and two sixes were hit during the Indian innings and four – three boundaries and a six – of those came when Jasprit Bumrah swung his bat towards the end of the innings. None of the batters, including the lower-order all-rounders, could go past the strike-rate of 50 and Australia quicks, led by the very accurate Boland, put a lot of premium on every run scored in the middle.
The first innings at SCG was another reminder by Australia on the importance of hunting in a pack. It’s something India have struggled to do throughout the series so far and would hope they produce an inspired performance to thunder one last time Down Under.
As far as the Reddys are concerned, they would hope the second innings turns out to be a memorable one for their ward who has already won a lot of hearts ever since the side landed on Australian soil.
