India vs Australia: ‘Was expecting a dogfight’, Tim Paine surprised with India’s batting collapse at 36

Australia captain Tim Paine stated that he expected a ‘dogfight’ between the two teams at the Adelaide Oval and not a three-day finish.

India’s horrendous collapse in the second innings of the pink-ball Test against Australia took everyone by surprise. After a terrific performance on the first two days of the game, the visitors surrendered against the Aussies pace attack in the second innings, registering their lowest score – 36/9 – in the longest format ever.

Photo of Australian captain Tim Paine (L) and Indian skipper Virat Kohli (L) (Twitter)

As a result, the Australian ended the game on the third day, chasing down a paltry 90-run target to take 1-0 lead in the 4-match series. After the game, host captain Tim Paine stated that he expected a ‘dogfight’ between the two teams at the Adelaide Oval and not a three-day finish.

“No, not really. I had said in the media that both these attacks have the ability to take quick wickets. Didn’t expect it to come that quick. Was expecting a real dogfight,” Tim Paine said.

“When you’re as tall as our boys and as quick as our boys, it can become very difficult so credit to our bowlers again. Absolutely rapped with the way we bowled, but our batting was below what we expected,” he added.

The Australia skipper was named the Man of the Match for his spirited 73 that helped Australia reduce India’s lead to 53. Paine showcased an amazing show with the tail, taking Australia’s total from 112 for 7 to 191.

“For the team very important to get close to that total. Obviously 5 for 79 you lose a few more and India go ahead in the Test,” Paine spoke about his knock.

Despite taking a handy lead of 53 runs, none of the Indian batters withstood against the Australian attack in the second innings. Pacers Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood wreaked havoc, sharing 9 wickets between them.