According to former captain Michael Clarke, not playing a tour game was a significant error, especially given the conditions in India.
Pat Cummins had garnered considerable acclaim as a captain, having led Australia to Test series victories against Pakistan, England, and South Africa. Despite these accomplishments, the challenge posed by India was always expected to be the toughest one yet. Under Cummins’ leadership, Australia had delivered impressive performances in both the Asian series, securing a 1-1 draw in Sri Lanka and a 1-0 series win in Pakistan.
Since the first Test, Pat Cummins’ defensive approach has unsettled fans and even some former Australian cricketers. Michael Clarke, who understands the difficulties of playing against India on their home turf, strongly criticized the Australian captain’s defensive tactics during the match in Delhi, finding them puzzling.
Clarke expressed his uncertainty about the team’s tactics, stating, “I must admit, I’m not entirely sure what occurred. Despite having a score of 100 runs, Pat Cummins had positioned four players on the boundary at one point,” as reported on Sky Sports Radio’s BSB.
Michael Clarke conveyed that the only options for the team were to either dismiss India for a score of less than 100 or to face defeat, regardless of the duration of the match. Therefore, they urged their team to have a proactive fielding strategy with fielders in positions like bat-pad off side, bat-pad leg side, and slip to account for variations in the ball’s movement. The speaker also mentioned that Australia had adopted a questionable strategy with players positioned at mid-off, mid-on, deep point, and deep square-leg, and questioned the effectiveness of this approach.
Former Captain Michael Clarke highlighted decision
Andrew McDonald, the Australian coach, made a bold decision not to include a tour game in India prior to the series. The former captain Michael Clarke highlighted that this decision to forgo practice in Indian conditions has proven to be costly for Australia as they fell behind 2-0 in the series.
Former Captain Michael Clarke criticized the decision not to have a tour game in India and considered it a significant error. According to him, it was crucial to have at least one tour game to acclimate to the conditions in India. Furthermore, he identified the selection of the team for the first Test as another major blunder. Clarke suggested that these mistakes cost Australia the opportunity to win the T20 World Cup and, more notably, the first Test match, and possibly even the second Test. He emphasized the gravity of these errors by repeating the phrase “major, major, major mistake” for each instance, indicating the extent of the consequences of these choices.
Clarke noted that the Australian team’s approach to facing the Indian spin challenge during the second Test at the Arun Jaitley Stadium was perplexing, particularly in terms of their shot selection. While England had a similar strategy during their previous series in 2021, Australia failed to execute it effectively, resulting in their defeat. According to the former captain Michael Clarke, the Australian batters were struggling with the basics of playing spin, which included making errors in their shot selection, resulting in their downfall. Clarke’s remarks highlight the need for the Australian team to improve their batting technique and strategy to overcome the Indian spin challenge.
During an interview on Sky Sports Radio’s BSB, Michael Clarke remarked that the Australian team has struggled to adjust to the conditions in India. He clarified that he wasn’t suggesting that sweeping was not a viable option, but rather, it must be executed appropriately, taking into account the timing, the stage of the innings, and the pitch conditions. Former Captain Michael Clarke mentioned that it is challenging to execute a sweep shot against the spin when the ball doesn’t bounce, which is a common occurrence in Indian conditions. He emphasized that the Australian batters need to work on their basic batting skills and their ability to face spin bowling in Indian conditions.
The Border-Gavaskar series, Qantas Tour of India 2023, is scheduled to be held on the following dates and locations:
- February 9-13: India claimed victory by an innings and 132 runs.
- February 17-21: India won by six wickets.
- March 1-5: Third Test in Indore, commencing at 3pm AEDT.
- March 9-13: Fourth Test in Ahmedabad, commencing at 3pm AEDT.
All matches can be viewed live and exclusively on Fox Cricket and Kayo Sports.
The Australia squad for the series consists of Pat Cummins (c), Ashton Agar, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Matt Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Lance Morris, Todd Murphy, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith (vc), Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, and David Warner.
The India squad comprises Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul (vc), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KS Bharat, Ishan Kishan, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Suryakumar Yadav, and Jaydev Unadkat. Read more cricket news and sports update here at Indibet.
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