India suffered their most embarrassing defeat in the history of test cricket when they gave up a commanding position at the Adelaide Oval to be bowled out for just 36 in the second innings. This was their lowest total in a test innings in the history of Indian cricket.
We take a look at the playing XI and give you our take on how they performed based on a ranking from 0 to 10.
Player Ratings
P Shaw (0/10): should not have been picked to play the first test. The selectors persisted with bad decision making and Shaw delivered on those poor decisions making 0 and 4 respectively. India needed a steady opening partnership and Shaw let the team down big time. The selectors will now drop him for the second test – which is a tad too late!
M Agarwal (1/10): was the senior of the two openers but did nothing to impress scoring 17 and 9 respectively. Agarwal does not look comfortable or confident and is likely to remain a liability for India at the MCG. India will persist with him at the top of the order for one more game most likely and wait to see if he comes good as his test average is impressive.
C Pujara (4/10): was the star batsman for India the last time they toured Australia. He had a good start in the first innings scoring 43 but fell for a duck in the second innings that started the collapse. Pujara needs the openers to blunt the new ball to some extent. He also needs to learn to counter the plan of the Aussies trying to get him LBW and sneak one through the gate.
V Kohli (6/10): was the best batsman for India scoring an impressive 74 in the first innings before being run out. Kohli scored four in the second innings and was embarrassed at how Indian collapsed. Kohli will not play any further role in the test series as he will be back in India to be present for the birth of his first child.
A Rahane (3/10): made 42 in the first innings but also ran out the captain after they had established a good partnership. He fell for a duck in the second innings. Rahane will be the stand in-captain at the MCG and will have to lead with the bat and help India bounce back. This will be a test of character for him both as a batsman and as a leader.
G Vihari (1/10): was playing as the all-rounder in the side at 6. He made 16 and 8 respectively which is just not good enough, especially when you think that he is not a specialist bowler and India are relying on him heavily as a batsman. Will the selectors persist with him for one more test or make the call and replace him with R Jadeja?
W Saha (1/10): is the primary wicket-keeper in the side but is horribly out of form with the bat. He scored 9 and 4 and also put down a difficult chance. The selectors should replace him with R Pant for the MCG test.
R Ashwin (6/10): made 15 and 0 with the bat. However, Ashwin is in the side for his bowling primarily. He was impressive picking up 4 wickets in the first innings and 1 in the second.
U Yadav (4/10): bowled well in the first innings and picked up 3 wickets. However, he got hammered in the second innings and conceded over 6 per over, which will be a worry.
J Bumrah (3/10): Picked up 2 important wickets in the first innings. He still does not look at his best but will have more responsibility on his shoulders with Shami being injured.
M Shami (1/10): did not pick up any wickets in the first innings but bowled well. He suffered a wrist fracture and did not bowl in the second innings. He will miss the rest of the series.
