The cricket world couldn’t stop talking as India folded for an all-time record lowest total of 36 in Tests. Not one Indian batsman could enter digits with Mayank Agarwal’s 9 being the highest score in an innings the players would want to forget as Australia steamrolled them by eight wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the four-Test series.
The shocking turn of events which transpired on the morning of Day 3 in Adelaide left many surprised, including former India captain Sunil Gavaskar, who, as a matter of fact, defended the Indian batsman following their shambolic performance on Saturday afternoon. Gavaskar said that although watching the team fold for 36/9 isn’t the most flattering, any team would have struggled against this Australian bowling attack.
“I mean, any team that is all-out for its lowest test score since the time it started playing cricket, that’s never good to see. But having said that, if any other team had been facing that kind of bowling, they would have also got out.” Gavaskar told Channel 7 on Saturday.
Australia’s bowlers were on the mark from the time they took the field on Day 3. India, resuming their innings on 9/1, were in no time reduced to 15/5, before sliding even further. Before this, India’s lowest Test score was 42, registered against England in the year 1974. Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood bowled a spell for the ages sharing nine wickets, with Hazlewood picking up a career-best 8/5.
“Maybe be not all-out for 36, maybe 72 or 80-90 but the way Hazelwood, Cummins bowled and the earlier 3-over spell from Starc, they asked a lot of questions. So it’s not fair to blame the Indian batsmen for the way they got out because it was just simply superb bowling by the Australian bowlers,” Gavaskar added.
