Ravindra Jadeja: Ravindra Jadeja’s stunning comeback has Australia struggling in Nagpur | Cricket News

In preparation for the Border Gavaskar Trophy, Australia he had wept hoarsely about the nature of the tone offered for the first test at Jamtha. By the end of the first day of play, they would have realized that more than on the pitch, they are probably not the team they once were.
The word ‘powerful’ that has so comfortably qualified Australian teams over the years may have been lost in the sands of time. What we get these days is the skeleton of a glorious past that invariably capitulates when someone decides to confront them head-on.
It was Ravindra Jadeja (5/47) who made some of Australia’s batsmen look like rookies in red ball cricket on Thursday. Jamtha’s ground was not the 2001 Eden Gardens ground which would have produced five days of brilliant cricket before a result could be achieved. But that doesn’t mean it was so fiendish that Australia, after choosing to bat first, would capitulate for a paltry 177 in just over two sessions.

Indian openers Rohit Sharma (56 batting) and KL Rahul (20), over the course of their 76 run partnership, proved that batting is perfectly possible at this rink. Rahul went out against debutant Tod Murphy (1-13), who looked quite impressive with the speed, line and length he bowled, in the penultimate over of the day. But if Rohit, night watchman R Ashwin and first order to follow can start in the first session of day two, it could very well be the curtain call for Australia in the first test.
While the ineptitude of most of Australia’s batsmen was the topic of the day, India had their share of heroes. After pacemen Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami represented the two frontrunners, Jadeja did what he has been doing on Indian raceways for the past 10 years.

Arrived at the bowl as early as 10, left arm didn’t try to do anything special. He just hit the sweet spot around the stump and got some off the right-hander with a good clip. Surprise delivery from him was one that came arm in and got the wicket from Steve Smith (37), who had looked the side of him up until then.
It was Smith’s 82-run partnership with Marnus Labuschagne (49) for the third wicket that looked to put Australia back in the game after a disastrous start. The two were using their feet well, they weren’t overcomplicating and appeared to be playing for Jadeja’s inbound ball while the one turning away was hitting the bat without too much damage.

But after lunch, it was arguably the lure of a milestone that got Marnus out of his crease on a slightly slower delivery from Jadeja and the ball made enough to beat the Aussie’s bat. KS Bharat, on his debut, completed a magnificent stumping that took the steam off the Australian counter-attack.
It was the psychological effect this wicket had on the Australians that simply paralyzed them. Matt Renshaw (0) was a fish out of water against Jadeja and Smith also seemed to have lost his temper, starting to expect demons from the field. The straight he missed clearly indicated that he had moved away from his initial plan and started playing for the turn.

Alex Carey (36 from 33 balls) and Peter Handscomb (31) tried to come from behind, but there was an element of desperation in the sweeps and reverse sweeps the southpaw was employing against Ashwin (3-42).
It was one such reverse sweep that took the edge and rolled onto the stumps, giving Ashwin his 450th Test wicket, another brilliant milestone for the star ofie. The rest of the Australian batting was just cannon fodder in front of Jadeja and Ashwin.