India vs Australia, 1st Test: Spinners shine as India crush Australia by an innings

Spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja obliterated Australia in just over two hours to hand India a crushing innings-and-132-run victory Saturday inside three days of the opening Test.

Match Summary

India vs Australia, 1st Test, Australia tour of India

India 400/10 (139.3 ov)

Australia 177/10 (63.5 ov) & 91/10 (32.3 ov)

Result - India won by an innings and 132 runs

Scorecard

Domination ??

Outstanding effort from India to go 1-0 up against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy ??#WTC23 | #INDvAUS | ??: https://t.co/69XuLpfYpL pic.twitter.com/d6VR2t7Zyp

— ICC (@ICC) February 11, 2023

Match Analysis

Spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja obliterated Australia in just over two hours to hand India a crushing innings-and-132-run victory Saturday inside three days of the opening Test.

The hosts took a commanding first-innings lead of 223 in Nagpur, then skittled out Australia for 91 in an extended second session to take a 1-0 lead in the four-match series.

Steve Smith was left to survey the ruins on 25 after Ashwin, who took five wickets in the innings and eight in the match, triggered a complete batting collapse inside a single session.

Ashwin rattled the opposition batting with his off-spin as he sent back Usman Khawaja (five), David Warner (10) and Matt Renshaw (two).

Jadeja, who grabbed five in the first innings, took two wickets including Marnus Labuschagne -- Australia's first-innings top-scorer with 49 -- trapped lbw for 17.

But Ashwin ruled the afternoon to run through the Australian batting, which fell flat on a pitch where India's tail including Axar Patel (84) and Mohammed Shami (37) scored handsomely in the first session.

Shami bowled Nathan Lyon for the ninth wicket to extend the session and finished the job when he trapped Scott Boland lbw.

Debutant spinner Todd Murphy was the tourists' sole saving grace, adding two more wickets on Saturday morning to return figures of 7-124.

Murphy, who on Friday became the youngest Australian spinner to bag five in his first Test, bowled Jadeja for 70 early in the morning session to end an 88-run eighth-wicket partnership with Axar.

Jadeja, a left-hander making his international return from a knee injury, added just four to his overnight 66.

But Axar stood firm in his effort to bat Australia out of the game and found an able ally in number 10 Shami, who made the most of a dropped catch on six.

Shami smashed two fours and three sixes to boost the total before becoming Murphy's seventh wicket.

Skipper Pat Cummins took two wickets and bowled Axar at the stroke of lunch to wrap up the Indian innings. Senior spinner Nathan Lyon took one wicket.

Rohit Sharma's powerful knock of 120 put the hosts in the driver's seat after they bundled out Australia for 177 on day one of the opener.

The skipper put on a key stand of 61 with Jadeja, and put India in the lead after they were in a spot at 168-5.

Jadeja set the tone for the thrashing with his figures of 5-47 that helped dimiss the visitors, who elected to bat first, soon after tea on the opening day.

The second Test begins Friday in New Delhi.

 

Playing XIs

India: Rohit Sharma (captain), KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Srikar Bharat (wicket-keeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj

Australia: David Warner, Usman Khwaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Matt Renshaw, Peter Handscomb, Alex Carey (wicket-keeper), Pat Cummins (captain), Todd Murphy, Scott Boland, Nathan Lyon

Match Details

Toss: Australia, chose to bat
Venue: Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur
Start time: 0400 hrs GMT
Match officials: Nitin Menon, Richard Illingworth (On-field Umpires); Michael Gough (TV Umpire); KN Ananthapadmanabhan (Reserve Umpire); Andy Pycroft (Match-referee)

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