India vs Aus, Pink-ball Test: Images from Day 1

Images from Day 1 of the Pink-ball first Test between Australia and India, in Adelaide, on Thursday.

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Prithvi Shaw’s poor technique was once again exposed, but the experienced Cheteshwar Pujara’s perseverance kept India afloat, at 41 for 2, in the opening session of the first day/night Test against Australia, in Adelaide, on Thursday.

Pujara (batting 17 off 88 balls) safely negotiated a testing first session after Shaw (0 off 2 balls) was bowled off the game’s second delivery by Mitchell Starc.

Mayank Agarwal (17 off 40 balls), his opening partner, did the hard work in the first hour, but then got an in-dipper from Pat Cummins that cut back sharply and breached through his defences.

Giving Pujara company was skipper Virat Kohli (batting on 5 off 22 balls) when the dinner break was taken at the completion of 25 overs.

The Australian pace troika of Starc (1/17 in 8 overs), Josh Hazlewood (0/16 in 9 overs) and Cummins (1/3 in 6 overs) bowled a very steady line, comprising mostly fuller deliveries, but to the credit of the unbeaten Indian duo, they did not look very jittery.

At the start, it was another disappointing mode of dismissal for Shaw, who, according to many, was a rather surprising selection over the in-form Shubman Gill.

Starc bowled a full delivery, which slightly shaped in, and the opener, having faced one ball, went for an expansive drive, playing away from his body, only to drag it back onto the stumps.

Pujara seemed like starting from where he had left during the tour of 2018 as he defended and only jabbed the drivable balls in his area.

He was a bit adventurous as he found India’s first boundary with a cover drive off Hazlewood. An uppish square drive off Starc got him a second one.

But Cummins produced one that was fast and moved off the track and Agarwal was beaten for pace. Replays showed that the batsman did not even complete landing on his front-foot.

When the ball clipped the off-bail, Agarwal was on his left heel.

Such was the pressure created by the Australian pace attack that Pujara played an astounding 34 consecutive dot balls being stuck on 14.

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