India, expected to win the third Test against Australia and secure a spot in the World Test Championship final, suffered a crushing defeat. Australia won by nine wickets and claimed their place at The Oval’s final. India’s batting performance was dismal, with the team being bowled out for 109 on the first day.
After India’s bowlers mounted a resilient fightback and held Australia to a modest 197 in their first innings, Nathan Lyon’s eight-wicket haul in India’s second innings saw them collapse to just 163 all out. Australia quickly chased the target of 76 to secure their first tour win. Many ex-Indian cricketers expressed their disappointment with India’s performance in the Indore Test. Here are some of their reactions.
The Importance of Maintaining Focus: Ravi Shastri’s Take on India
Ravi Shastri attributes India’s poor performance to their complacency and taking things for granted. The former coach highlights a combination of overconfidence and eagerness to dominate in unfamiliar conditions that led to India’s downfall. Shastri urges the team to analyze their mistakes and learn from them to avoid repeating them in the future.
Sunil Gavaskar blamed the Indian batters for their poor performance and suggested that they allowed the pitch to affect their mindset. He observed that the batsmen played reckless shots and let the pitch dominate their game, particularly in the second innings.
Harbhajan Singh criticized Rohit Sharma for not using Axar Patel in the second innings, questioning his decision. He suggested that short spells for R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel could have been used to open the door of opportunity.
Former India opener Aakash Chopra observed that the Indian team lacked resilience in the Indore Test. According to him, apart from Cheteshwar Pujara’s gritty fifty, the lower order collapsed quickly, and the team failed to show much-needed resilience.
Parthiv Patel urges India’s top order to perform in the fourth Test, saying they can’t rely on the lower order to save them every time. He calls for at least one player to play long innings and apply themselves on spin-friendly pitches. In the previous Test, only Pujara scored runs, while the rest failed to contribute much.