OTD| Australia recorded their lowest Test score on Indian soil in 2023

The Australians have conventionally been a formidable touring side. But they have struggled in the recent past in Indian conditions as the Aussie batters have not been able to negotiate the challenge of spin. On this day last year, the Kangaroos witnessed one such pathetic performance when they recorded their lowest Test score on Indian Soil. 

Nightmare in Nagpur

The Australian team arrived in India in February 2023 for a 4-match Border Gavaskar Trophy and their first assignment was in Nagpur. The series opener proved to be a disaster for the visitors. Winning the toss, as any visiting side would do, Australia opted to bat first but the Australian batters could not take advantage of winning the toss. The Indian bowlers were right on top from the very start. Openers Usman Khawaja and David Warner were dismissed in the first three overs by the pacers. Labuschagne and Smith tried to steer the ship but could not do that for a long time. Their 82-run partnership was broken by Ravindra Jadeja and after this partnership, everything went downhill for Australia. The Kangaroos could only manage to score 177 runs in the first innings. 

In reply, India posted 400 runs on the board courtesy of a century from the Indian skipper Rohit Sharma who smashed 120 runs to lead his team from the front. Jadeja and Axar Patel also contributed with their half-centuries taking India to a comfortable position in the match. 

Complete Demolition

At the end of the first innings, India registered a massive lead and the Australian team had to first overcome that and then post a challenging target to keep their hopes alive in the match. However, all these plans proved to be futile as the Indian spinners, particularly R Ashwin, bowled phenomenally well which gave Australian batters no clue as to what transpired. The Australians collapsed in a dramatic fashion and got bowled out for 91 runs in the second innings. This was the lowest total in s Test match for the Kangaroos on Indian soil. As a result of this demolition, India won the match by a massive margin of an innings and 132 runs.