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Australian win raises questions about India’s pitch strategy for the series


Bamboozled! Even Pujara, who gave a good account of himself in the second innings, had no clue on negotiating the pitch in the first outing.

Bamboozled! Even Pujara, who gave a good account of himself in the second innings, had no clue on negotiating the pitch in the first outing.
| Photo Credit: R.V. Moorthy

Australia defeated India at its own game on a viciously turning pitch used for the third Test at the Holkar Stadium here. The nature of the pitch earned it three demerit points from Match Referee Chris Broad. A definite blot.

This Indian team has a potent pace attack. One that exceeded expectations on foreign soil, and won successive series on the bouncy Australian pitches. Why then such dry, wickedly turning tracks with uneven bounce where you can see puffs of dust from the first over of the Test?

Negative mindset

India preparing such tracks, loaded in favour of spinners, where cricket happens in fast-forward mode, stems from a deep sense of insecurity.

Talking to the media after the Test, India skipper Rohit Sharma vehemently defended such pitches. India seems to have got into a negative mindset where it believes the only way to win at home is to prepare such tracks.

Truth to tell, the Indian batters — having hardly played any domestic cricket — are struggling on these very pitches where their footwork has come under sharp scrutiny.

This team lacks the accomplished players of spin that India boasted of in the past. Ironically, when replying to a question about former Indian cricketers criticising such tracks, Rohit’s response was, “Former players, I don’t think, have played on pitches like this.”

But, you do not have to look beyond the India-Pakistan Bangalore Test of 1987 for an answer to that.

Pakistan was spun out for 116 on a minefield of a pitch on day one. India was eventually left with a target of 221 on a dustbowl. And, Sunil Gavaskar, playing with flawless footwork on the devious track, made a chanceless 96 in one of the greatest knocks by an Indian.

Also, Gundappa Viswanath can be named as India’s finest ‘bad-wicket’ batter.

Making the right moves

Coming back to Australia, Steve Smith’s captaincy was tactically suave. A natural skipper who enjoys challenges, he’s put the Sandpaper Gate incident in South Africa, 2018, behind.

Smith is a veritable bundle of energy when captaining his side; shuffling his bowlers, moving the fielders constantly to sow seeds of doubt in the batter’s mind, and running up to have conversations with his bowlers.

In the thick of things: Smith is a veritable bundle of energy when captaining his side.

In the thick of things: Smith is a veritable bundle of energy when captaining his side.
| Photo Credit:
AFP

Like he said, “Captaincy in India is like playing a game of chess. Every ball is an event.” And, Smith, enjoying captaincy rather than feeling the pressure, made all the right moves.

Such as blocking a battling Cheteshwar Pujara with the ring field from square-leg to mid-wicket and forcing him to play that leg-glance to Nathan Lyon with Smith himself taking a stunning reflex catch at leg-slip.

He also slowed down the game when Shreyas Iyer was going great guns and his decision to bring back Mitchell Starc was an inspired one

Lyon, with Matthew Kuhnemann and Todd Murphy offering him excellent support to maintain the pressure, teased and tormented the Indian batters with flight and spin, dip and drift. What a champion spinner!

Unpardonable

Finally, Ravindra Jadeja’s “unpardonable ‘no-ball’ with which he ‘dismissed’ Marnus Labuschagne was a huge moment in the Test. Labuschagne’s meaty partnership with Usman Khawaja laid the foundation for the Aussie victory.

Jadeja gave Australia a lifeline and the visitor lives to fight another day.



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