Team India put up a dominating display to outplay Australia by an innings and 132 runs in the first Test at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur on Saturday.
The emphatic victory helped the hosts take a 1-0 lead in the four-match Test series. Before the start of the first Test, there was much hype about the pitch. Several former Australian cricketers and experts were of the opinion that the pitch was doctored to be conducive for spin and helpful for the hosts. The Australian media took it as a tool to lash out at the hosts. At last as it turned out, the Australian team lost the match by an innings and 132 runs.
After winning the toss and opting to bat first, Australia were skittled out for 177 runs in their first innings. In reply, India batted brilliantly to score a mammoth 400 runs. In the process, the hosts quashed the claims of the pitch being a rank-turner. They again bowled out the Aussies for 91 runs and won the game comprehensibly.
The batting debacle of the visitors against the spin exposed the chinks in their armour. As per several experts and fans, Indians are more skilful in tackling spin. Twitterati lashed out at the visitors for their hue and cry about ‘doctored pitch’ and poor performance against spin.
“Never judge a pitch until both teams have batted on it. If both teams struggle, it’s the pitch. If just one team struggles, it’s the skills. Well played Team India,” tweeted former Indian opener Wasim Jaffer.
“My binge watching of both the seasons of the Test lasted longer than the Australian batting in Nagpur,” wrote a fan (sic).
Responding to Australia’s poor show, a third user tweeted, “India register a Massive Win by an Innings and 132 Runs over Australia in the 1st Test.#Australia cannot blame the Pitch since Axar and Tailenders were able pile up 89 runs today almost equal to their 2nd innings total of 91.”