With lower shoulders, a tilted head, and a lengthy face, as well as injuries and questionable selections, the Australian Test team looked to be a sitting duck on the Indian tour. They are under tremendous pressure to win the upcoming third Test match in order to make a comeback in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Series. The third Test will begin on March 1 in Indore. With two matches remaining in the series, Australia may be able to bounce back in the same way as India did during its previous tour to Australia. The Mighty Australia has fallen, but it is not out!
India takes a 2-0 lead and retains the Border Gavaskar Trophy after a decisive victory in the second Test match in Delhi on Sunday. India beat Australia in three days for the second time in a fortnight and are on the verge of qualifying for the World Test Championship (WTC) final in June.
Due to injury, Aussie bowler Josh Hazlewood and opener David Warner will miss the remaining two matches. Hazlewood will return to Australia owing to an ongoing Achilles injury, while Warner has been ruled out of Australia’s last two Test matches in India after damaging his elbow and suffering a concussion.
Pat Cummins, Australia’s captain, has also departed for a brief visit to Sydney due to a significant family ailment.
The powerful Australians, who had destroyed Pakistan at home and had travelled to India to exact retribution, appeared to be clueless to play spin bowling. Two Test defeats in a row have shaken the Australian media, which expected their team to perform better on the Indian tour. Not only the media, but also former cricket greats, harshly criticize their team for failing to perform better. Nine wickets were lost in 91 minutes in the Delhi Test, making it one of the worst sessions in Australian Test history.
Meanwhile, the Australian team has come under fire for its disastrous performance in the second Test against India. The Australian batting collapse in the Delhi Test was one of the most bizarre in recent memory, with Australian skipper Cummins acknowledging that Australia’s batsmen drifted “away from their methods” following an over-reliance on sweep drives in the six-wicket loss. The tour has been a complete failure for Cummins, who has received a barrage of criticism for his leadership, attitude, and individual performances from former Australian Test players.
Former captains Allan Border and Michael Clarke slammed the team’s batting performance against India, describing the second innings collapse as “panicky” and ill-executed.
It was terrible batting from Australia, as there was no intent or clarity of thought to save the match and put up a brave fight against the Indian spin attack. Ashwin deserves credit for reinvigorating the effort. The Indian spin attack strangled Australia, picked up big wickets, and wounded the Aussies fatally. Ravinder Jadega, on the other hand, was not only taking wickets but also contributing to India’s lower order with his bat.
Though India won the match, its top order was exposed; Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, and Pujara are all underperforming. Because of their subpar performances, the team’s administration is worried. Technically speaking, the top order has been lacking.
Despite the fact that India has won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for four straight series, the Australians are still very much in the game. To qualify for the World Test Championship final in June, Australia must avoid getting whitewashed 4-0 in India.
