India captain Virat Kohli admitted he was lost for words to explain his team's historic collapse at the Adelaide Oval on Saturday as Australia took a 1-0 lead in the four-match Test series.
Holding a 53-run lead after their first innings total of 244, India proceeded to get skittled for 36 – their lowest innings score in 88 years of Test cricket. Australia then completed the run chase with eight wickets to spare.
Josh Hazlewood (5-8) and Pat Cummins (4-21) turned the tight day-night Test on its head in a devastating spell of pace bowling to open the day, ripping through the much-vaunted Indian batting line-up in less than two hours.
Australia's batsmen, playing without pressure, chased down the victory target of 90 runs with some ease, opener Joe Burns giving his confidence a much-needed boost with an unbeaten 51 that included the six which secured victory.
"It's very hard to put (my) feelings into words. We had a lead of 60 when we arrived today and just collapsed completely," said Kohli, who lost for the first time in 26 Tests where he had won the toss.
"When you work hard for two days ... to get yourself in a good position and then literally in an hour, you put yourself in a position where it's impossible to win, it really hurts."
If the tourists were shellshocked, the hosts were also taken aback by a turn of events which few would have predicted when India came out to bat with a 62-run lead and nine second-innings wickets in hand.
"We were expecting a real dogfight right to the end, late day four, maybe day five in this test," said Australia skipper Tim Paine.
"Again, it shows the talent we have with the ball and when our boys execute, and there's anything in the wicket, that's what can happen."
The margin of victory will be a hefty blow to India's morale as well as their hopes of repeating their maiden Test series triumph in Australia two years ago.
None of India's batsmen managed to get into double figures – only the second time that has happened to any team in a Test match.
Their innings score was the lowest in 544 Tests going back to 1932, worse than their previous low of 42 against England at Lords in 1974. Only two countries have managed fewer runs in the long history of the format.
