India's Batting Woes: Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill Dismissed in 16 Balls as Starc and Boland Shine in Adelaide

In a dramatic turn of events, India suffered a major setback in the second Test against Australia in Adelaide as they lost their top batsmen KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, and Shubman Gill in quick succession. Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland led the Australian bowling attack, mounting immense pressure on the Indian team. This sudden collapse occurred just before the end of the first session, leaving India with a daunting task ahead. Earlier, India's opening duo, KL Rahul and Shubman Gill, had formed a captivating partnership, exhibiting a flurry of boundaries. Both batsmen were fortunate enough to survive a few close calls but made the most of every opportunity to score runs. However, their promising partnership was abruptly cut short by the relentless Aussie bowlers. The duo's dismissal marked a turning point in the day-night Test, with Australia gaining the upper hand and instilling a sense of uncertainty in the Indian camp. As the teams headed into the break, the momentum had clearly shifted in favor of the hosts. The loss of three crucial wickets in such a short span of time underlined the volatility of the game and the fine margins between success and failure. India now faces an uphill battle in the remainder of the Test match, having to rebuild their innings and regain control against a fired-up Australian bowling attack.

Starc dismissed in-form opener Yashasvi Jaiswal with the first delivery of the pink-ball Test, and then returned to send back KL Rahul and Virat Kohli in the second hour of play as Australia finished the session in a dominant fashion. At the first interval, returning skipper Rohit Sharma was unbeaten on 1 and Rishabh Pant was 4 not out. Starc took 3-31 in eight overs.

Star gave a heart-racing start to the day-night Test by giving marching orders to India's in-form opener Jaiswal for a platinum duck. It was a full delivery and Jaiswal, expecting an away-swinger at the start of the Test, played all around it.

Shubman Gill (31) and Rahul (37) then added 69 runs for the second wicket. Gill appeared to be in fine touch, despite missing the first test due to a thumb injury, and scored five boundaries.

India was 36-1 after the first hour, with Rahul starting slow again and survived two chances off Scott Boland’s first over.

He was adjudged caught behind in the eighth over, only for it to be deemed a no ball, and then was dropped at slip four balls later as Usman Khwaja failed to latch on.

Rahul faced 64 balls before he was finally caught at gully off Starc in the 19th over. That is where the Test match started to take a different turn. The right-hander, for him captain Rohit Sharma sacrificed the opening position, failed to control the extra bounce that Starc generated and nicked it to Gully.

Extra bounce troubled Virat Kohli as well, and he was caught at slip for seven. Once again, Kohli's forward press brought about his downfall. He did not have enough time to transfer his weight onto the backfoot and ride the bounce. Former Australia opener Justin Langer said, Kohli was unsure whether to play at it or not.

"Even the greatest of players... they punch it through covers or get hands away from it. It's a hard thing to do. Virat Kohli was unsure whether to play or leave it," Langer said on commentary.

Things went from bad to worse for India as Boland struck at the other end, trapping Gill lbw as India lost three wickets for 12 runs across 16 deliveries to surrender its early advantage. Much like Jaiswal, Gill was guilty of walking across and missing a full and straight delivery.

The returns of Rohit Sharma and Gill were two of three changes to the India lineup that convincingly won the series-opening match in Perth last week.

Australia made one change, with Boland recalled to replace the injured Josh Hazlewood, who sustained a side strain while taking match figures of 5-57 from 34 overs in Australia’s heavy 295-run defeat in the first Test.