NEW DELHI: The No 1 team in the ICC Test Championship has been caught napping by the Australian team led by Steven Smith, so much so that the Border-Gavaskar Trophy is on the line. And the common theme for India has been losing wickets in clusters, which was the overriding factor in the huge 333-run loss in the first Test and has resurfaced during the ongoing match in Bangalore.
In the series opener in Pune, on that dry and crumbling surface, India hurtled towards defeat when in their first innings they lost seven wickets for just 11 runs in the span of 48 balls, which was their worst seven-wicket collapse ever. From 94/3, India careened to 105 all out, losing five of those to left-arm spinner Steve O'Keefe in 19 balls. This was the joint second-fewest deliveries needed by a bowler to claim a five-wicket haul versus India.
It didn't get better for India when they batted again. Facing an impossible target of 441, they were bowled out for 107 which, following their 105 in the first innings, made it the fewest total scored by an Indian team in a home defeat. Here too, the loss of wickets in a cluster was startling: 7/30, as India went from 77/4 to 107 all out. O'Keefe took six more to finish the match with 12/70, the best figures by an overseas spinner in India.
In Bangalore, India were an improved unit with the bat on a surface assisting turn and pace, and with variable bounce, but two collapses left them smarting. Having won the toss, Virat Kohli had no hesitation choosing to bat. After another poor start, India were being carried by KL Rahul and Karun Nair but the latter's dismissal for 26 paved the way for another collapse. Nair was out with the score 156/5 and from there the innings unraveled to 189 all out, meaning India has lost six wickets for 33 runs.
On the fourth morning, India resumed with a lead of 120 and hopes were high of converting that into something in the vicinity of 230 an upwards with Ajinkya Rahane on 40 and Cheteshwar Pujara on 79. However, not long after the overnight pair put up the first century partnership of the series, Josh Hazlewoodand Mitchell Stark pulled the match back in stunning manner as India lost 5/23 before lunch.
Ishant Sharma helped add 16 for the last wicket with Wriddhiman Saha, but his dismissal just three minutes before the lunch break meant India were all out for 274, having lost their last six wickets for 36 runs in 12.4 overs.
Australia's target is 188 on a very difficult surface to bat on, but do India have enough runs to defend? Should they lose, those two collapses in Bangalore will be where the Test and the series was surrendered.
