Tale of two Perth pitches explained: Why 17 wickets on Day 1 and only 3 on Day 2

Watching the Perth Test thus far between India and Australia, one would not be blamed for thinking that two different pitches were used in the first two days. Friday was doomsday for the batters, while Saturday was the same for the bowlers. Pitches generally worsen as a match progresses, but the pitch at the Optus Stadium has actually got better with time.
On Day 1, as many as 17 wickets went down. It seemed that the fast bowlers had a chance of taking wickets every ball. Jasprit Bumrah made the quality Australian batters look like school kids. For batters, it was no less than their worst nightmare. After Day 1, who would have thought that it would be the bowlers who would come under the pump on the second day!
Australia vs India, 1st Test, Day 2 Updates
On Day 2, only three wickets went down as the Australian bowlers toiled hard without any success whatsoever. On Day 1, India were shot out for 150. On Day 2, Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul put on a partnership of 172 runs for the opening wicket. Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, who all terrorised India in the first innings, were made to sweat without any success.
But how did the pitch change character in less than 24 hours?
The legendary Sunil Gavaskar reckoned that the use of rollers helped the Perth pitch become flatter. The track becoming batting friendly was a tad evident from the last-wicket partnership between Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc as the duo frustrated India for nearly 20 overs.
“What has also helped to an extent were rollers that have been used by Australia at the start of the day’s play and India when they came to bat. That certainly helped the pitch flatten a bit and, therefore, it’s been a little better to bat in the morning and before Tea. Those two sessions on Day 1 were completely different — the ball was flying around, seaming,” Gavaskar told the broadcasters.
Matthew Hayden, who used to torment opposition bowlers in his heyday, however, credited the batters for their willingness to put a price tag on their wickets. The former left-hander said that if a batting team is able to grind it out and see off the tough times, it is possible to score runs in Perth.
“I think it’s also qualified by the fact that you see a vastly different batting effort, even the tail enders for it. Once they applied themselves, they were able to the bat periods of time. And then when India came out, they left the ball well as we what we’d been alluding to,” Hayden said.
“And so that creates a special sort of chemistry and a bowling attack that’s now got this huge expectation that all of a sudden you’re going to come out there and knock a side over. Now, all of a sudden they’ve got to start to work for their wickets. Captains have got to think about how they’re going to create these plans and create pressure.
“And India resisted all of that so remarkably well, and we are seeing this great partnership unfold. And so, yes, I want to address the different conditions. But I think it’s also being really per emphasised by the fact that the batting standard and quality is of the absolute highest level on this surface,” Hayden added.
Apart from the rollers helping the pitch, the weather conditions also played a major part. On Day 1, it was cold and bowlers got assistance from the moisture on the surface. The rainy weather in Perth and the watering of the pitch before the Test meant that bowlers had plenty to work with on the opening day.
But the sun beating down on Day 2 meant that the moisture evaporated from the surface. It was then that batters started to feel more at home. The track is likely to worsen with cracks widening and signs of uneven bounce palpable and hence, spinners are most likely to come into play.
Nathan Lyon has enjoyed bowling at the Optus Stadium, having taken 27 wickets, although he is yet to take a wicket in the ongoing edition. His role on Day 3 is going to hold a lot of importance if the Aussies are to get a foothold back into the contest.
After the end of India’s first innings, Australia would have been cock-a-hoop given how their pacers gunned down the Indian batters, who looked hapless. But since then, the home team hasn’t had much to cheer for. Jasprit Bumrah, India’s standout captain in Rohit Sharma’s absence, took down anyone and everyone who came in his way with a five-wicket haul.
At Stumps on Day 1, it seemed that the Perth Test would not last for more than three days with wickets haemorrhaging. But after a completely contrasting second day when the pitch magically became a batter’s paradise, Australia would also feel that they have got a chance to come back with their backs against the walls.
The Optus Stadium has been a happy hunting ground for Australia, who have won all four Tests. But India have given them a run for their money. Going into Day 3, if Cummins and Co. don’t take early wickets, they could well end up chasing leather with India gradually becoming favourites to come up trumps and take a crucial 1-0 series lead.