Amid talk of transition, the spotlight will be on India’s underperforming middle order heading into the fourth Test. Australia share similar concerns, but it’s their top order that’s facing the heat
MELBOURNE: Will the abrupt manner of Ravichandran Ashwin‘s exit from the international arena affect India’s spirit? Will Australia find all the negative talk about the top order overwhelming? These are the two major questions facing these era-defining teams as they go into the fourth Test facing identical issues about poor batting returns and inevitable change.
For India, Ashwin’s retirement could be a portent of things to come. For Australia, David Warner’s last Test in Sydney against Pakistan at the beginning of the year kick started plans which have yet to come to fruition. Bluntly put, Australia have yet to find a proper replacement, showing the perils of forced transition.
Australia’s pace lineup too is ageing but is still formidable and has kept such questions at bay. The same can’t be said of some of the senior batting stars on both sides, but they aren’t the only ones under the microscope any more – some inconsistent youngsters too must share the blame.
Both these teams are finding it hard to trust their batting lineups right now, but to what degree can teams contemplate alterations ahead of what is expected to be a series defining Test?
As Ashwin told his teammates in the dressing room at the Gabba, “Trust me, everybody’s time comes.” Change may be inevitable, but Australia’s canny skipper Pat Cummins is punting on being the enemy of change for now.
Faced with a barrage of questions on sticking with the opening combo of Nathan McSweeney and Usman Khawaja, who haven’t exactly set the series on fire, Cummins retaliated, “There is so much more to picking a side than just looking at the Internet. (It’s about) going on with really strong philosophies, working with players as a unit.”
There is no dearth of conspiracy theories when it comes to Australian cricket. Former player and coach Darren Lehmann has even suggested chief selector George Bailey is too close to the team and hence unable to make “hard decisions”. Cummins shot back, saying, “The most important thing is you stay objective. They’ve made some really bold calls over the past couple of years in all formats. Probably bolder than I’ve seen other selectors make.”
The “bold call” everyone wants now is to address Australia’s struggling top three of Khawaja, McSweeney and Marnus Labuschagne, who have a combined average of 14.4, the lowest for Australia’s top three in a home summer since 1887-88. Cummins feels there is no need to panic since some tough batting conditions have meant both teams have struggled to score.
“Everyone’s always hoping to score more runs. The trend in cricket, pretty much all around the world, is the top three is a really hard place to bat at the moment, particularly in Australia. The wickets are tough,” Cummins said. “I’d like them to score more runs, but they’ve made some important contributions that others have benefited from.”
For India, the whole focus has been on the lack of runs from captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli‘s unconvincing stays in the middle, apart from the century in Perth. But after a promising start, opener Yashasvi Jaiswal has fallen flat. No. 3 Shubman Gill and No. 5 Rishabh Pant too have been unable to convert starts. India, obviously, have the edge in the opening combine given KL Rahul‘s good form, with the openers averaging 42.8 from 12 innings here compared to Australia’s paltry 13.5.
It’s the middle order, from No. 3-6, that has been the real disappointment for India as a unit, averaging just 17.78 from a combined 20 innings to Australia’s 31.95. India have clearly missed an in-form enforcer like Travis Head, a task entrusted to the likes of Pant.
So, while both batting units have problems, they are different ones. Nos. 7-11 have performed similarly on both sides, Australia averaging 21.41 to India’s 22.82, though India’s last pair did heroically to avoid the follow-on in Brisbane to claim bragging rights.
It appears the captains think alike about the batting issue. Like Cummins, Rohit too focused on the overall attitude instead of individual returns. “It might appear that we lagged behind (in the third Test at the Gabba) but we take a lot from here. I’m immensely proud of the attitude we’ve shown because runs and wickets are one thing, but if your attitude and character are good then you can turn the impossible into possible,” he said.
Going into the MCG Test, only two things are clear on both sides. The younger batters will in all likelihood get a longer rope. And the veterans will be challenged to change themselves. How well they do so may decide which side comes out on top.
