New Delhi:
In the lead up to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the Indian cricket team suffered a historic 0-3 clean sweep in a home Test series at the hands of New Zealand. There were questions over whether any of their batters has the patience to bat for long periods in Test cricket. There were fears over their pace attack too. On the other hand, Australia, despite the fact that they lost their previous two home Test series against India, were projected as the favourites.
One Test into India’s ongoing tour of Australia and there has been a dramatic shift in the sentiments. The Indian team is being hailed for its historic feat in the Perth Test while razor-sharp queries are being fired towards the Australian camp.
India roared back after a batting collapse on the opening day of the first Test in Pert to record a 295-run win inside four days to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
And former India head coach Ravi Shastri has raised doubts over the depth of Australian cricket recalling the time when the likes of Matthew Hayden and Michael Hussey had to wait for years before getting a consistent run at international level because of the wealth of talent the team had at its disposal.
“I am seriously worried about the depth in Australian cricket,” Shastri told “There were times when players had to play years and years of cricket to make the cut. Mike Hussey, Matthew Hayden – years and years, and you look down the ranks there in Shield cricket and some of the youngsters coming through the ranks, there aren’t many there. When you look at the batting line up, a couple of guys in the evening of their career, on the other side of 30 – deep into the 30s, you want to have some depth.”
Former England captain Michael Vaughan shares Shastri’s sentiments claiming there aren’t enough quality players waiting in the wings who can seriously challenge the Test incumbents.
“What is underneath this Australian batting line up really pushing the standards in the first team? The standards generally get driven in a team because you’ve got many players pushing for places in it – I just don’t see too many doing it. When Australia had a batting line up that had many world class players in it, I reckon you probably had seven or eight world class players not in it – and that was just in the batting department. Who is pushing? How many players outside of this Australian camp… outside of (Josh Inglis), who are the players getting the numbers to put these players in this team under pressure? I just don’t see it,” Vaughan said.
Former Australia captain Michael Clarke was unhappy at the team’s reluctance to bowl allrounder Mitchell Marsh in India’s second innings that saw them declare at 487/6. He claimed Australia are preserving him for the latter part of the Test series.
“Mitchell Marsh could walk out to bat in the second innings, you’re doing all this preparation to make sure he can bowl in the (third Test). Second innings, (he gets a) broken thumb, he’s out of the series. All that great planning around his bowling, what a waste. If you need to bowl the guy right now, mate, and if it means you’re bowling till you’re in the ground, you bowl; win this Test,” Clarke told .
“It was like we just expected to knock India over again for not many – there was no intent. They were right in our faces, but I didn’t see any of our bowlers give it to any (India) batsmen … it all looked a bit flat for the first Test of the summer,” he added.
“Boys, stop preparing for 2030 — because you mightn’t get there,” Clarke concluded.
