26 March,2017 06:06 AM IST | | Ashwin Ferro
Chinaman bowler Yadav takes four wickets in debut Test as India bowl out Oz for 300 on Day 1
Day One of the fourth and final series-deciding Test between India and Australia began and ended with enough drama that only promises a lot more excitement in the next four days.
Off the very first delivery of the match, Bhuvneswar Kumar, picked in place of 77-Test old Ishant Sharma, got David Warner edging an away singer to second slip only for Karun Nair to spill it. Then, in the last three minutes of the day's play, India's KL Rahul survived some vicious bounce and swing extracted by visiting pacer Josh Hazlewood in the only over that India had to bat to finish on 0-0 following Australia's 300 all out moments earlier.
Here comes Kuldeep
In between, one of Indian Test cricket's most impressive debuts in recent times unfolded in the form of young Kanpur-based Chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav.
Introduced in the 29th over of the day, Kuldeep began brilliantly with some short, sharp turn and variation, leaving opener David Warner guessing more often than not. And as expected, it was the left-hander, who was Kuldeep's first victim on the first ball of the fourth over after lunch. As Kuldeep would reveal later, he dismissed this Australian with a weapon (flipper) he'd picked up from his mentor and another Australian (Shane Warne). The injured Virat Kohli, who made way for Kuldeep here, also couldn't contain his excitement and came to the boundary ropes to congratulate his young bowler. Kuldeep had three more dismissals in the day, and all three were sheer beauties. He then had Peter Handscomb clean bowled for eight off the conventional Chinaman as Australia suddenly began feeling the jitters at 168-4 though skipper Steven Smith was into the nervous nineties at the other end.
No Maxi touch
Kuldeep then brought up what has to be the wicket of the day. Just four overs after Handscomb's dismissal, Kuldeep got a taste of Glenn Maxwell's aggressive side when the big-hitter lofted him for a four over mid-on. Not one to be bogged down, the 22-year-old showed immense maturity when, only two balls later, he foxed Maxwell into playing against the wrong 'un and clean bowled him. Wicket No. 4 for Kuldeep was a sweet caught and bowled off a tossed up delivery to the unpredictable Pat Cummins (21 in 40 balls, 3x4, 1x6). At 245-7, the Aussies were now reeling and eventually crumbled 55 runs later for 300, at least a good 50 runs short of what they should have had on the board had it not been for a certain Kuldeep Yadav.
What you need to know about the chinaman
79 No. of wickets by spinner R Ashwin in Tests during the ongoing season, the most by any bowler in one season
54 No. of consecutive Tests played by Kohli before missing Saturday's match
