Head and shoulders above: Australia claim 10-wicket win over India

Australia have absolutely dominated India in Adelaide, clinching a 10-wicket victory and equalling the series after only three days in the second test.

After standout performances from Travis Head and Australia’s fast bowling trio of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, and Scott Boland over the first two days, the Aussies started Day 3 leading by 29 runs with India already five wickets down.

Head’s 140 runs during Australia’s first innings earned him Player of the Match honours, beating out Starc and Cummins who had eight and seven wickets respectively. It was Head's third Test hundred at Adelaide Oval, making him the first South Australian to achieve the feat at his home ground.

With Australia firmly in control at the start of the day’s play, the question was simple: could India’s tail do some damage and give Australia a difficult total to chase? The answer was just as clear; no.

Rishabh Pant was the first wicket to fall. Pant edged a Starc delivery straight to Steve Smith at second slip, departing for 28 off 31 balls.

Ravichabdran Ashwin was removed soon after for 7 runs off 14 balls, as Australian captain Cummins claimed his third wicket, caught by wicketkeeper Alex Carey.

Cummins continued his return to dominance, completing his five-fa with two more quickfire wickets, sending Harshit Rana (0 off 12) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (42 off 47) back to the pavilion before the end of the first session.

Only leading by 19, Scott Boland produced the knockout blow, ending Mohammed Siraj’s innings for 7 runs off 8 balls. In a fitting full-circle moment, Siraj sent the ball high in the sky, falling into the safe hands of Travis Head; the pair having shared a heated exchange during Australia’s first innings after Siraj bowled Head, who had top scored for the match with 140 runs.

Only trailing by 18 runs, it didn’t take long for Australia’s opening pair of Usman Khawaja and Nathan McSweeney to tie the Border-Gavaskar series one-all. The pair evenly split the final spoils, with McSweeney scoring 10 off 12, and Khawaja getting 9 off 8.

It sends Australia to the Gabba full of confidence. Having copped lots of criticism over their poor showing in the first test, the Aussies responded in style, silencing any calls for members to be replaced.

Marnus Labuschagne, who received the brunt of that criticism, notched 64 runs to likely secure his place in the side for the rest of the series, while Boland, who was replacing the injured Josh Hazlewood, staked his claim for a permanent spot in the side, recording five wickets for the match.

The third test in the Border-Gavaskar series begins on the 14th of December in Queensland and can be heard on the SEN Cricket App.