Observations from the 2014 Adelaide Test

Tribute to Phil Hughes at the Adelaide Test

Source: www.cricket.com.au

Well it looks like that my earlier prediction of an Australian 2-0 series victory is in doubt after only one test. The Australians won the Adelaide Test by 48 runs, but not after a spirited fight-back on the last day by India who looked like possibly snatching an unlikely victory during the day. Chasing 364 to win the match, India lost 8/73 in the final session and the test was over. It was an emotional week for cricket and especially the Australians, who I suspect will never be the same again after the death of teammate Phil Hughes.

The memory of Phil Hughes was everywhere to be seen, his baggy green number of 408 painted on the ground and every time an Australian cricketer made a milestone or took a wicket the celebration was near that number. The Australians wore shirts with No.408 embroidered on the front to respect the memory of Hughes. This victory meant everything to the team and it is possible that they may win the series 4-0 based on the emotions evident in this test. 

So what did we learn from this test?

• Batsman's Paradise - There were six hundreds made in Adelaide with Warner and Kohli making centuries in both innings which is outstanding. This suggests that the pitch was a road. But even with both sides making over 400 in the first innings a result was still produced and the game went into the last session of the fifth day.
• Emergence of the Lyon King.... (well perhaps) - Lyon's 12 wickets was a match winning effort and also resulted in his maiden 10 wicket match haul. Lyon bowled very well his 5/134 in the first innings complemented his 7/152 in the second. There were questions over his ability to close out matches which he has gone some way in answering. Lyon now has the belief that he can produce this type of effort, now he needs to do it consistently.
• Welcome to the captaincy - India's stand-in captain Virat Kohli performed outstandingly in the test, he scored centuries in both innings (115 and 141) and almost masterminded a surprise victory for India. Kohli comes across as a fighter and when he does take over the captaincy full time, he should win more than he loses with this desire to win.
• Australia's future looks good - Australia may have found three young stars in its batting order in Warner, Smith and to a lesser extent Mitchell Marsh. Warner has scored 1061 runs at 75.78 so far in 2014, but what is more impressive is his strike rate or 81.67 runs per 100 balls faced. So when Warner makes runs he makes them quickly which gives Australia a good start. Smith has scored 779 at 77.90 so far this year and shows maturity beyond his years every time he bats. Mitchell Marsh is only just starting his career but shows plenty of promise and as shown in the second innings will put the team first ahead of individual glory (Shane Watson take note !!!) 

Lastly given that the test started three days earlier than originally scheduled, it was great to see that over 113,000 people attended the match over the five days. India have some work to do in Brisbane next week and it might be difficult for them to recover from this loss. Although this might be easier with the expected absence of Michael Clarke for the rest of the series with a hamstring injury.