3 Factors That Determined India’s Series-Levelling Win At Bengaluru

Mar 7, 2017 at 6:36 PM

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3 Factors That Determined India’s Series-Levelling Win At Bengaluru

Virat Kohli-led India defeated Australia by 75 runs to level the four-Test series 1-1 in Bengaluru on Tuesday. Defending a modest 187-run total, the hosts bundled out the visitors for just 112 with off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin grabbing the limelight in the final session with his spell of 6/41.

It was a closely fought contest and victory didn’t come easy for India. The pressure was heavy after the shock loss in Pune and Kohli and his men found themselves on a sticky note after getting bowled out for just 189 in the first innings. The hosts bounced back strongly in order to win the match. If we take a close look, the win was a result of a series of events that went in India’s favour. It would be unfair to say that India convincingly took away the game from the visitors.

KL Rahul was the silent hero with fifties in both innings. Umesh Yadav’s spell which accounted for the wicket of Steven Smith and Shaun Marsh and The Pujara – Rahane stand were three such really critical factors that determined the win for India in a real sense. Ashwin’s spell was just the knockout blow, to be honest. If these series of events had not occurred, Smith & Co would certainly have been celebrating instead of standing with dropping shoulders. Let’s take a look at those scenes.

KL Rahul’s Maturity:

Local Boy KL Rahul’s efforts were quietly overshadowed by the turn of events that led to India’s win. Well, it did get acknowledged as he was awarded the Man of the Match. But, all of, in the excitement of the win, had certainly forgotten his knocks of 90 and 51 which perhaps was the core reason India stayed in the contest. In the first innings where India’s lower order collapsed to just 189 after being 118/3 at one point, Rahul’s score of 90 was the only saving grace for the hosts. He showed great character in the second innings as well. India had the tough task of setting a respectable target after conceding a 118-run lead and his stable start with the bat ensured India did not falter in the beginning despite his partner Mukund’s failure.

Pujara and Rahane Nail Aussies:

The onus of taking India to a safe position fell onto the two calmest men in the team – Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane – when the home side skidded down to 120/4. The duo took the challenge and put up the first century stand of the series and pushed Aussies to the corner. Together, the two right-handed men shared 118 runs for the fifth wicket. Both individuals struck fifties and the stand could only be halted when Rahane got trapped LBW for 52. Unfortunately, Pujara also shortly departed and missed out on a famous century by just eight runs. The departure of duo triggered a mini- collapse as Starc and Hazlewood began wiping off the lower-order to eventually restrict India to 274.

Umesh Yadav’s Support:

Umesh Yadav has silently been doing a great job in the series so far. Unarguably, he was the biggest catalyst in India’s Bengaluru win. While a spell of 2/30 might look pretty normal, Indian would have certainly toiled harder had he not gotten rid of Steve Smith and Shaun Marsh. Both the Australian men are very well capable of dragging the match to a length before eventually snatching wins from the opposition. Smith’s hundred in Pune was still fresh in mind when he walked out to bat at no.3 while Marsh already had a good feel of the conditions with a fifty in the first innings. Umesh, with the wicket of these two top-order men, really deserves a special applause.

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