Josh Hazlewood took five for eight as Australia bundled out India for their lowest innings score in 88 years of test cricket, dismissing the tourists for 36 at the start of the third day of the day-night first test on Saturday.
India resumed on 9-1 at Adelaide Oval and were able to add only 27 runs before Mohammed Shami retired hurt to end their second innings, leaving Australia requiring only 90 to take a 1-0 lead in the four-match series.
Australia openers Joe Burns and Matthew Wade had chipped 15 runs off that target before the tea break brought some relief to the shellshocked visitors.
Pat Cummins chipped in with 4-21 as he and Hazlewood put on a spellbinding display of pace bowling to deal a hefty blow to India's hopes of repeating their maiden test series triumph in Australia two years ago.
It was India's lowest innings score in 544 tests going back to 1932 and only four teams have managed fewer runs in the long history of the format. “Everything went to plan, I think the way Patty started was unbelievable to knock over the two big wickets and I just followed suit,” said Hazlewood, who was on a hat-trick at one stage in his devastating spell.
None of India's much vaunted batsmen, including captain Virat Kohli, managed to get into double figures as wickets fell at regular intervals throughout the afternoon.
Shami's injury, which came when a short ball from Cummins hit him on the forearm, was a double blow for the tourists as the paceman was unable to bowl in Australia's second innings.
India will be sweating on his fitness for the second test in Melbourne on Dec. 26, especially as they will also be without Kohli for the remainder of the series as the skipper returns home for the birth of his first child.
Lowest innings totals in test cricket
26 - New Zealand v England at Auckland, March 1955
30 - South Africa v England at Port Elizabeth, Feb 1896
30 - South Africa v England at Birmingham, June 1924
35 - South Africa v England at Cape Town, April 1899
36 - South Africa v Australia at Melbourne, Feb. 1932
36 - Australia v England at Birmingham, May 1902
36 - India v Australia at Adelaide, Dec. 2020
38 - Ireland v England at Lord's, July 2019
42 - New Zealand v Australia in Wellington, March 1946
42 - Australia v England in Sydney, Feb. 1888
