Indian cricket icon Ravi Shastri has blamed Australia’s lack of trust in defence for last week’s horrific batting collapse in Delhi, urging the tourists to play with more patience in the subcontinent.
The visitors lost 8-28 in chaotic scenes at Arun Jaitley Stadium as India secured a six-wicket victory to claim an unassailable 2-0 lead in the four-match series, retaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in less than six days.
Half of Australia’s batters were dismissed while attempting sweeps and reverse sweeps, a strategy that came under heavy scrutiny after the defeat.
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“I think application (has let them down) more than anything else; the lack of belief in their own defence,” Shastri told the ICC Review Podcast.
“The lack of application and the lack of discipline was unreal, and Australia paid for it big time.”
During the series opener in Nagpur, Australia was bowled out for 91 in the second innings, with most of the top order beaten on either side of the bat while playing a forward defence. In response, Australians looked to counterattack with aggressive batting in the second Test, a ploy that backfired drastically in the Indian capital.
With the possible exception of Travis Head, none of Australia’s batters played their natural game in Delhi. Shastri, who coached India between 2017 and 2021, called for Australia to return to the basics ahead of the final two Tests in Indore and Ahmedabad.
“If you don‘t trust your defence, you have no chance because that’s when you entertain thoughts of breaking free, much quicker than you normally should,” Shastri said.
“Sometimes you‘ve got to spend some time at the crease, but how are you going to spend some time at the crease if you don’t trust your defence?
“But I didn‘t see one Australian batsman (do that). What surprised me was some of their most senior players also came out there and looked to do things out of the ordinary, something they’re not used to.
“So I think it‘s patience, it’s application, it’s discipline and trusting your defence.”
Speaking to reporters after the Delhi Test, Australian coach Andrew McDonald confessed that his side’s batters abandoned their plans in the second innings.
“There were some people who went clearly away from the game plan that made them successful over a period of time and that’s for us to own as a collective,” McDonald said.
“We’ve got to be better than that, that’s the bottom line, we’ve got to own it and we are not here to shy away from the fact that wasn’t good enough.”
Australia is set to lose its ICC No. 1 Test ranking if India takes a 3-0 lead in Indore, while the team’s place in the World Test Championship final will be in jeopardy if the hosts secure a 4-0 whitewash.
“A 4-0 win here psychologically does send a strong signal to the opposition,” Shastri said.
“There will be an impact, but conditions are different as Australia will have their fast bowlers back as a lot of them are injured,
“But that psychological dent will make India believe that, even in those conditions, they‘re good enough to upstage Australia.”
The third Test between India and Australia gets underway at Holkar Stadium on Wednesday, with the first ball scheduled for 3pm AEDT.