Day-night Test: Emphatic Josh Hazlewood leads from front to impress with pink ball

New Delhi: Australia might have lost Mitchell Johnson due to his retirement from international cricket recently, but Josh Hazlewood has stepped up beautifully to dictate terms in the side's pace battery.

Hazlewood didn't let Aussies miss Mitchell Starc who was injured in the ongoing Day/Night Test match against New Zealand at the Adelaide Oval.

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In this historic Test, Hazlewood has found love in the pink ball and has allowed it to do wonders with accuracy and cleverness. Hazlewood took six wickets in the second innings to rattle New Zealand in addition to his three in the first.

His ability to set up batsmen patiently and then getting them fall prey to his full deliveries did wonders for him and Australia at Adelaide. Hazlewood used the surface wisely by pitching in full and getting help from seam movement to tease the batsmen to edge either to Peter Nevill or the slip fielders.

In the second innings the Aussie pacer got all the important batsmen dismissed to hand Australia the onus. Hazlewood got most batsmen out in similar fashion. His dismissal of Ross Taylor was the perfect treat to the eye. He set up Taylor with some length balls and suddenly bowled an inswinging delivery to trap him LBW.

The 24-year-old has impressed one and all to show he is ready to take the initiative and be an important member of the pace bowling options the side has.

With Mitchell Starc and Mitchell Marsh, Josh Hazlewood forms a trio of young pacers determined to excel for Australia. Despite taking just four wickets in the first two Test matches, Hazlewood made sure he made up for the deficit at Adelaide.