Adelaide heroics set stage for Marsh

[Glasgow]

There were myriad reasons why India’s cricketers might have missed cricket.com.au’s live stream of the South Australia-Western Australia JLT Sheffield Shield match as it reached its conclusion three weeks ago.

Virat Kohli’s men had only just arrived, on various flights from multiple embarkation points, in Brisbane where their two-month tour of Australia was about to begin with a T20 international against the host nation at the Gabba.

Had they logged on to the free coverage, they would have witnessed WA’s Shaun Marsh compiling a flawless and undefeated 163 on a final-day Adelaide Oval pitch as the Warriors cruised to their 313-run victory target, five wickets down.

Having begun that final day staring at an eerily similar scenario to that which awaits the first Test’s conclusion tomorrow.

Three weeks ago, WA ended the penultimate day 4-146 needing an additional 167 to win, with Marsh unconquered on 72.

Tomorrow’s assignment is 219 runs with six wickets remaining, and the left-hander has already survived 92 balls in scoring an unbeaten 31.

The fact that WA sauntered to victory for the loss of a solitary wicket on that final day is barely relevant, given the heightened consequence of a Test match and the reality that SA’s attack was hardly Ravi Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami.

However, by effectively throwing away the latter half of their batting innings after expending so much effort to seize the ascendancy, India revealed they either did not know of recent last-day batting feats on an Adelaide pitch that seemingly ages better than Barossa shiraz.

Or, if they were cognisant of that occurrence, they did not care because they doubted Australia’s fragile batting line-up was capable of chasing down a target beyond 300.

Come yesterday’s lunch break, the visitors, who are chasing their first series win in Australia after seven decades of fruitless trying, were 275 runs in front and with five second-innings wickets – including specialist batter Ajinkya Rahane not out 57 – up their sleeves.

While that lead did not translate as unassailable, the way that Pant and the subsequent lower-order heaved away in kamikaze urgency at Australia’s bowling suggested it had been decided over the midday buffet that they had their fill of runs.

India’s assistant coach Sanjay Bangar begged to differ at day’s end, noting that it was hoped that India tail might have added an additional 25-30 runs which would have also soaked up an extra hour or so.