As I was out day drinking on Saturday I saw none of Day 2. But for the first two sessions yesterday, I thought Australia overall bowled pretty well. Starc was too full or too short initially, but all three seamers beat the outside edge of Jaiswal’s bat on multiple occasions without reward. You have days like that. Cummins looks short of a run which after this Test he won’t be. The pitch still had pace and bounce, but the tinge of green that gave that nip off the seam on Day 1 had vanished, leaving a pretty good surface to bat on.
Wickets came sporadically, each one looked upon by the Indian batter dismissed as though they were dreadfully unlucky. That does become a little annoying. Given the state of the game, Kohli’s hundred was easily predicted. He tried nothing flashy, he got in on a good surface and did what all batters of his calibre should do. The supporting cast did their job and made sure he got his century before the declaration came. Australia’s bowling in that final session was ragged, along with the tactics. They had been perfectly burned to a crisp by the heat, the pitch and the batting. Which all made what happened next all too obvious.
After three days of only two balls not bouncing as they should have, McSweeney’s fourth ball stayed low on cue and cannoned into his front pad. When the cricket Gods are in your corner, they perform wonderful feats. It has been a tough debut. He will have better days ahead.
The decision firstly to send in a night watchman with over 20 minutes of the day remaining, and that being the captain himself, is hard to fathom. What does that say about the mindset of our number three bat? His job is to face the new ball when necessary. This was his time to show leadership. Ian Chappell and Ricky Ponting would have stridden purposefully to the crease to face the music with a determined steel in their eye. It was another admission of his failing powers. Cummins flashed at a wide ball he didn’t need to play at to give Labuschagne only a small respite, and once at the crease his mindset was exposed for what it is, the indecision in how he should be approaching his batting. His dismissal last ball was almost prophetic, not offering a shot whereas in the past he would be clear minded and assertive in either leaving the ball or playing the defensive stroke. He is in a sea of madness at the moment. It is fair to say that he had a run of good fortune up until 18 months ago in regards to being dropped during an innings or being saved by a no ball. That has well and truly deserted him, and he needs to work his technique out fast if he is going to save himself and his team in this series.
At 3/12, today may determine if Australia is capable of being in this series by Melbourne. The bowlers for the most part stuck to their guns and fought hard on a pitch that was against them on Day 2 and 3. The top order batting has been average for some time. They are marvellous on a shirtfront, but in dire danger when the ball is moving around. Today is a Test for Khawaja, Smith, Head, Marsh and Carey. They are playing on their home pitches, which is supposed to be an advantage. They need to stand up and be counted today. If Australia is rolled for under 200 then questions must be asked. If they can get to 5/320 at stumps, then even though winning is still probably out of the question, they will have shown that they won’t roll over this summer.
The problem for Australis is – this is their best XI available. Behind them... just who is there that could possibly take their place?...
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