Australia tour of India 2023 - 4 Tests , 3 ODIs

[Bevab]

WTC is a failed concept. Merely by winning one test, a nation cannot be deemed as World Champions in the format. Plus, who really cares about it? No one bothered about the Test Mace for so many years. Ditto with the WTC.

And said one test will always be in England. It’s done some good in giving credence to tests that aren’t high profile but overall it’s a very disappointing tournament if it can be called one.

 

[Fenil]

While Pujara holds fort, I don't see how it is helping the team's cause. It is the 3rd innings and we are literally crawling at snail's pace.

Cheteswar needs to ramp up the scoring. Simply showcasing the fact that you cannot be dismissed on this minefield, is purely selfish.

After Iyer went hammer and tongs, Pujara has not even attempted to get the score up. India ought to have been atleast 80-90 runs ahead at this stage.

I wouldn't be surprised if Pujara's career draws to a close post the BGT.

You might love to know what Pujara had to say after his "purely selfish" innings.

 

[Bevab]

Pujara’s the last person you can accuse of selfishness anyways. The bloke has played countless innings under duress in one of the toughest positions. He ain’t no Shiv.

 

[LiveLoveABD]

Pujara’s the last person you can accuse of selfishness anyways. The bloke has played countless innings under duress in one of the toughest positions. He ain’t no Shiv.

I agree with this. I think the vacuum of Pant is being felt hard. I also don't know why Jadeja has gone so defensive in his approach.

I don't know if I am correct or not, but post the WTC the batting order needs a serious rethink. I don't feel convinced about Iyer at all and as solid as Kohli has looked, he still refuses to believe in his cover drive and wrists (flick through mid-wicket). He blocks too many balls and while he wouldn't have made a ton in either innings, I still feel if he played his natural game a bit more, he could have added 50-60 more in each innings. It's a mindset thing. Just like I never endorse Pujara pretending to be attacking, batting at the end of the day in any format is about run making. It also transfers pressure back on the bowler and allows pressure to ease at both ends.

If left to me, I would give Rahul a good 5 test matches at the top with Gill at 3. I would love to see Shubman as a long term 3. I think cricket has moved away a bit from the 'wall' kind game with pitches lasting 3 days so it would not be such a rotten idea to give this a go but it would all depend on Pujara. I wouldn't move him if he continues to ground bowlers into the ground.

 

[Fenil]

Pujara’s the last person you can accuse of selfishness anyways. The bloke has played countless innings under duress in one of the toughest positions. He ain’t no Shiv.

Just to be clear, I didn't accuse him anything. Icyman opined that the way he was playing was a bit selfish.

I believe Pujara is our best player of spin and one of the few batsmen left who can you use their feet to come down to the pitch of the ball to negate the turn without the intention to throw the kitchen sink at it. That class is missing nowadays as the modern batsmen prefer raw power instead of technique.

How I miss the likes of Kevin Pietersen, Michael Clarke, Arvinda De Silva, Laxman et al who would leave the bowlers scratching their head without trying anything funny.

 

[icyman]

You might love to know what Pujara had to say after his "purely selfish" innings.

He himself said," You need to attack and defend on this pitch,a mix". My concern is that I didn't see any attack from him, apart from that lone sixer.

Pujara’s the last person you can accuse of selfishness anyways. The bloke has played countless innings under duress in one of the toughest positions. He ain’t no Shiv.

Would agree l. However,in the case of the innings he played yesterday,I would divide it into 2 parts

1. Batting until Iyer was at the crease
The intent from Iyer was on show for sure. No qualms in Puji playing the 2nd fiddle then as Iyer was taking the bowlers.
2. Batting post Iyer's dismissal
After Iyer's dismissal,it was evident that someone had to attack. Pujara kept on playing second fiddle. India needed runs and needed to get above 100 to give its bowlers something to go with.

Pujara's batting didn't seem to have any fluidity. By scoring a 50, he simply gave an impression that if you held fort, the runs will come. Hence, I call his innings as selfish.

I don't know if I am correct or not, but post the WTC the batting order needs a serious rethink. I don't feel convinced about Iyer at all and as solid as Kohli has looked, he still refuses to believe in his cover drive and wrists (flick through mid-wicket).

Iyer has been our best batsman in the last year. Dunno, on what basis you want to discard him.

If left to me, I would give Rahul a good 5 test matches at the top with Gill at 3. I would love to see Shubman as a long term 3. I think cricket has moved away a bit from the 'wall' kind game with pitches lasting 3 days so it would not be such a rotten idea to give this a go but it would all depend on Pujara.

Again, KLR is woefully out of form. Gill was in red hot form and wasn't played in the first 2 games. That's where India loses out many a times. As far as I am concerned, KLR is done and dusted. It is time for the likes of Shaw, Sarfaraz, Easwaran to be given a longer rope with an eye on the transition.

 

[asprin]

Ok, at least we won't lose by 10 wickets. That should be consolation enough.

 

[icyman]

Khawaja off the 2nd ball. Opens the floodgates tbh.

Interesting to see how Rohit rotates the spinners here.

 

[Bigby Wolf]

Attack is the best form of defence.

 

[icyman]

Match over!

The kind of attack is exactly what I was expecting from India yesterday, especially one Cheteswar Pujara.

 

[wasteyouryouth]

At least this will keep the last test interesting

 

[Fenil]

It's a lose lose game for India. Either they lose the match or they attract a demerit point on the pitch.

Honestly though, such pitches shouldn't be entertained at all. Hopefully, next venue's pitch would play a lot better and would have something to keep everyone interested be it batsmen, pacers or spinners.

 

[Bigby Wolf]

Great win this for Australia.

They played way better than the hosts.

 

[wasteyouryouth]

WTC is a failed concept. Merely by winning one test, a nation cannot be deemed as World Champions in the format. Plus, who really cares about it? No one bothered about the Test Mace for so many years. Ditto with the WTC.

I see a lot of Indian fans online that seem to care about it and they seem to expect that everyone else does. I'd wager at least 90% of English fans would take the Ashes over the WTC.

And said one test will always be in England. It’s done some good in giving credence to tests that aren’t high profile but overall it’s a very disappointing tournament if it can be called one.

Like most ICC initiatives, someone probably comes up with a good idea and then the boards tear it apart and change it to ensure they make as much money, or lose as little, as possible.

 

[Umair7]

Marnus gonna be so crucial in future Asian tours! He was playing more on the front foot in this innings too!

Head playing well against spin surprised me but long may it continue!

Next Stop: Ahmedabad (hopefully 2-2 by the end of the game)