Australia beat India by 10 wickets to level series at Adelaide

AUSTRALIA defeated India by 10 wickets in the second Test at the Adelaide Oval on Sunday, levelling the five-match series 1-1.

The hosts delivered a dominant performance with both bat and ball to secure victory on day three of the pink-ball Test.

Chasing a modest target of 19, openers Usman Khawaja and Nathan McSweeney easily reached the score without losing a wicket.

India, who started the day at 128-5, could only manage 175 in their second innings before being bowled out.

Rishabh Pant, resuming on 28, fell in the opening over to Mitchell Starc without adding to his score.

Pat Cummins dismissed Ravichandran Ashwin (7) and Harshit Rana (0), while Nitish Kumar Reddy made a fighting 42 before being removed by Scott Boland.

Boland also claimed the final wicket of Mohammed Siraj (7) to end India’s innings. Cummins finished with 5-57, Boland took 3-51, and Starc claimed eight wickets across the match.

Cummins praised his team's turnaround after their loss in the series opener, highlighting Travis Head's game-changing century. "He loves batting here," Cummins said. "The ball does a bit more under lights, but the big thing was getting a big lead."

For India, the defeat added to their struggles at Adelaide, recalling their 2020 collapse when they were bowled out for their lowest-ever Test score of 36.

Rohit Sharma acknowledged his side’s failure to capitalise on opportunities. "We didn't play well enough to win the game. Looking forward to the next Test," he said.

The hosts’ commanding win was built on a strong first-innings lead after bowling India out for 180.

Nitish Kumar Reddy top-scored with 42, but Mitchell Starc’s 6-48 derailed India’s innings.

Travis Head's 140 and Marnus Labuschagne’s 64 propelled Australia to 337 in reply, setting up a decisive lead.

India's bowlers struggled to exploit the conditions with the pink ball, allowing Australia to bat through the challenging evening session on day one with minimal damage.

In contrast, Australia’s experienced pace attack dismantled India's top order under the lights on day two, leaving the visitors with little chance to recover.

The series now moves to the Gabba in Brisbane, where the third Test begins on Saturday.

(With inputs from AFP)