Pat Cummins Leads Australia to a Crushing 10 Wicket Victory Over India

Pat Cummins showcased his brilliance as Australia leveled the Test series against India with a commanding 10-wicket win in the second match at Adelaide. The day-night Test saw the visitors fall apart under relentless pressure from the Australian pace attack.

India began the final day on the backfoot, trailing by 29 runs with five wickets in hand. The formidable Australian bowling unit, led by Mitchell Starc and Cummins, wasted no time in asserting their dominance. Starc set the tone early by dismissing Rishabh Pant with a beautiful delivery that found the edge and landed safely in the slip cordon.

Cummins then launched a short-ball assault on the Indian lower order. R Ashwin, attempting to fend off the barrage, succumbed to a gloved catch behind. Nitish Reddy, one of the few Indian batters to offer resistance, farmed the strike effectively with the tail. He managed some attacking strokes, including a six off Cummins, but the Australian skipper eventually outfoxed him with another well-directed short ball, sealing his five-wicket haul.

Cummins' efforts marked his 12th five-wicket haul in Test cricket and put Australia in firm control. India's innings ended at 175, leaving Australia a paltry target of 19 runs. The Australian openers knocked off the runs with ease, maintaining their near-perfect record in day-night Tests, winning 12 out of 13 matches.

Australia’s bowlers were the standout performers, with Mitchell Starc claiming six wickets in the first innings and Cummins leading the charge in the second. The victory also highlighted Travis Head’s brilliance with the bat, as his 140 in the first innings laid the foundation for Australia’s dominance.

For India, Nitish Reddy showed glimpses of resilience, but the rest of the batting unit faltered under the weight of Australia's disciplined bowling. With the series now tied at 1-1, both teams will look to seize momentum heading into the next Test.

Brief Scores:

• India: 180 (Nitish Reddy 42; Mitchell Starc 6-48) & 175 (Nitish Reddy 42; Pat Cummins 5-57)
• Australia: 337 (Travis Head 140, Marnus Labuschagne 64; Jasprit Bumrah 4-59, Mohammad Siraj 4-98) & 19/0

Result: Australia won by 10 wickets.