Former Australian skipper Ian Chappell believes some Australian batters don’t trust their defense against the Indian spinners. Australia lost the second Test match against the hosts by six wickets after they were folded for only 113 runs in the second dig in Delhi.
The visitors had their noses in front at the end of the second day’s play as they were 61-1. However, they went on to lose nine wickets for only 52 runs in the morning session of the third day. Australian batters backed the sweep shot on a pitch that was keeping low and it wasn’t a guile decision.
The tourists tried to take an aggressive approach in the opening session but it led to their downfall. India had to chase down only 115 runs and they were able to get to the score with six wickets in hand.
“As an individual, you’ve got to play your game and understand your game. I believe there are quite a few Australian players who don’t trust their defense on these turning tracks against these Indian spinners. And if you don’t trust your defense in those circumstances, then you can be panicked into doing something that is not natural,” said Chappell while talking to ESPN Cricinfo.
On the other hand, Steven Smith, who is not a natural sweeper of the ball, was plumbed in front by Ravichandran Ashwin when he tried to play a sweep shot against the veteran. Chappell feels Rohit Sharma was intelligent in his shot-making.
“When you see Steve Smith attempting a big sweep and miss by a long way, you think to yourself that Steve that is not your game. Rohit Sharma was playing beautifully. Sure he swept one ball but he did it very cleverly. He basically forced Nathan Lyon into bowling a little short, and then he just gave it a little paddle sweep. That to me is intelligent, top batting,” Chappell added.
Australia was trying to be aggressive but Chappell feels the touring team also needs to be thoughtful at the same time.
“India was struggling with the field placing and couldn’t contain the Australian batters. You’ve got to be aggressive, but thoughtful in India. I was hoping we’d see more of that. But what we saw were disgraceful attempts to sweep, missing the ball by a long way, and getting the stumps hit. It was a pitiful batting performance,” said Chappell.
The third Test match will be played in Indore from March 1.
