Pat Cummins, the number one Test bowler, Josh Hazlewood, the dark horse and Mitchell Starc, probably one of the finest left-arm pacers that the world cricket has ever seen. The trio has the ability to rip apart any batting line up in the world. BUT they were frustrated, hapless and irritated as the series against India reached the its final moments.
They had bowled against resilient Cheteshwar Pujara who would probably settle down on that batting crease if the team needs.
And if Pujara’s stubbornness wasn’t enough to exasperate the Australian bowling, wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant’s belligerence with the bat added to their misery.
But was it just the Indian batsmen who had forced the Australian pacers to work like bonded labor or was there anything more to it?
And the answer is, there was definitely something more and it was Tim Paine's dependence on the pace attack rather than banking on his part-timers to get through some overs and ask the front line seamers to rest.
Cummins and Hazlewood have specifically bowled with a certain plan and were dominant but had also burned out after going all guns blazing.
Cummins and Hazlewood have specifically bowled with a certain plan and were dominant but had also burned out after going all guns blazing.
Starc on the other hand used the short ball tactics well but never really managed to trouble the Indian batsmen. Pujara was brave enough and put his body in line on quite a few occasions just for his team. He was hit quite a few times but never gave up. His tactics made Starc was deflated after a point of time and soon he lost his control and venom in the short stuff. All the other bowlers including Cummins and Hazlewood but good lines but they could have taken a leaf out of Mohammed Siraj and changed their lengths. Siraj was quite exceptional in the 2nd innings and got enough assistance from the pitch. However the Aussies always being egoistic brought about their downfall.
Pacers workload
With no major changes in the XI and no tweaks at all in the bowling department, the fast bowling trio was loaded with extra bit of work. In the first match against India, Starc bowled a total of 26 overs, Hazlewood, 25 and Cummins almost 31. This was because India were bundled out for 31 in the second innings giving away the match after steady start.
The second encounter saw an increase in this workload. Starc and Hazlewood had bowled around 30 overs each while Cummins had 28 overs to his name. India won this match by 8 wickets.
The third clash that was one of the most frustrating ones for the Australian side saw Starc bowling 41 overs, Hazlewood, 47 and Cummins around 47.
This ended in a draw, courtesy a fine partnership between R Ashwin and Hanuma Vihari on the final day.
The series was now levelled at 1-1 with the decider slated to take place in Brisbane. India had been running short of players before going into the game after some mainstays had sustained injuries, they had been racially abused but the determination that the Indian team showed that exemplary courage and grabbed the series.
Well talking about the work load in this match too, Starc was made to bowl 32 overs, Hazlewood 42 and Cummins 48.
It’s shear negligence from Paine that the fast bowlers had literally dropped the shoulder at the end. The Australian team management needs to rejig and tweak a number of things and probably give a second thought to Paine’s continuing as skipper.
What options did Paine have?
We all know Marnus Labuschagne as the next big thing especially in Test cricket. But very few would know that he had been a handy bowler too for Australia in the matches or innings that he had been handed the ball.
Let’s go back to Ashes 2019 where Labuschagne came in as a concussion substitute for Steve Smith and soon became an integral part of the Australian setup. Well, his batting abilities are well-versed now, let’s have a look at his bowling.
The leggier as his bowling style suggests bowled 18 overs in three matches and gave 56 runs and also picked up a wicket.
Cut down to 2021, the Test series vs India. The leg-spinner has bowled in almost every match but hasn't bowled for a very long time. He bowled one over in the first innings of the first Test, one over in the second innings of the second Test, three and four overs in either innings of the third Test respectively while bowled an over in each innings in the fourth Test.
The totally of his overs against India came down to 11 overs, well short of the number he bowled against England.
What India takes away?
EVERYTHING. India would take away a lot of positives from the series. Winning and losing, as they say is a part of the game but in this manner shows the calibre and determination of a team. They were bundled out for 36 in the first match, they had been lost mainstays due to injuries, their captain had left after the first match and they had a young, inexperienced bowling attack that lived up to the expectation. KUDOS to Indian team for such a performance.
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