Bowlers gave India something they never tasted down under

Dec.10 (CRICKETNMORE) - India have done it, at last, winning the first Test of a series in Australia. It took 70 long years, starting from their inaugural Test two months after the country attained in

If only the Indian bowlers had applied themselves similarly in the second innings and the last five wickets had not crashed for 25 runs, the last four for four runs, they could have batted Australia out of the Test.

To pick an Indian hero would be unfair to the eleven that played. Yet, Cheteshwar Pujara is the man who held the innings together, getting the others to play around him. If the lower-order stood by him in the first innings after the top-order folded and in the second he and Ajinkya Rahane gave the Indians a score that could be defended.

This inexplicable collapse should be a worrisome aspect of Indian batting, all so frequently, when their four-man attack has been unfailingly getting 20 wickets in a Test. It is more glaring looking at the way the Australian tail fought resolutely on a fifth day Adelaide pitch against the world's top off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and three never-say-die pace men Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah.

The value of Man-of-the-Match Pujara's 194 runs in the two innings (123+71) should be weighed in gold. All the rubbish heaped on him of not the ideal Number 3 because he doesn't rotate the strike or not a quick runner between the wickets has to be put at rest for ever after this Test. 

Pujara has shown there is no better player than him for any situation. He is the one top-order batsmen who has shown how to hold an innings in trying conditions and also how to farm the attack nursing the tail-enders. Rahane is not far behind.