2 mistakes and 1 masterstroke by Team India in the 3rd Test vs Australia
Team India suffered a humiliating nine-wicket defeat in the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia in Indore on Friday, March 3.
With the win, the visitors clawed their way back to 2-1 in the four-match series and sealed their place in the final of the World Test Championship. India are still the favorites to join Australia in the summit clash, but turned in a disappointing display on a rank turner in Indore.
Rohit Sharma and Co. will know they need to massively up their game when the Border-Gavaskar Trophy caravan moves to Ahmedabad. Here are two mistakes and one masterstroke made by the hosts in the third Test against Australia.
#3 Mistake - India's usage of Axar Patel
Three Tests into the series, it wouldn't be a stretch to claim that Axar Patel has been one of the best batters across both sides. He made valuable contributions in each of the opening two games, with his lower-order runs and assured batting against spin greatly helping the hosts gain an advantage over Australia.
In the third Test, Axar was unbeaten in both innings. The southpaw ran Mohammed Siraj out in the first innings before the fast bowler attempted an ill-advised heave to be castled in the second essay. His batting should've been utilized more by India, who sent him in at No. 8 and No. 9 respectively.
Even with the ball, Axar wasn't utilized properly. He bowled only 13 overs in the match, all in the first innings. He also wasn't asked to take the new ball even when it seemed like his bowling would be the most dangerous against the Aussie batters.
There's a reason why the all-rounder has the Test numbers he currently has, and Rohit and the team management need to realize that and hand him more responsibility.
#2 Masterstroke - The hosts gave themselves a chance with their bowling towards the end of the first innings
At the end of Day 1, Australia were 156/4 in 54 overs after bowling the hosts out for just 109. They negotiated the first hour of play on Day 2 excellently as well, putting on 30 runs without losing a wicket.
In the post-drinks session, though, the home side fought hard and turned in a valiant bowling display. Umesh Yadav sent down a penetrative spell that saw him dismiss Cameron Green, Mitchell Starc and Todd Murphy. Ravichandran Ashwin, who had looked off-color on the opening day, picked up a few wickets of his own.
India could've easily persisted with the left-arm spin duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel, but they switched up their tactics to great effect. They managed to restrict the Aussies to 197, taking the last six wickets for just 11 runs. The fightback gave them at least an outside chance of winning the Test.
#1 Mistake - Shot selection throughout the Test
Across both innings, India's batters played several careless shots. The same was not the case in the opposition unit, with the Aussies mixing caution and aggression to great effect. Yes, batting was difficult in Indore, but the hosts did themselves no favors with their shot selection.
In the first innings, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ravindra Jadeja and Shreyas Iyer were among those who were dismissed playing avoidable shots. In the second essay, Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli joined in on the unwanted party.
Rohit and Co. should've been more judicious with their shot-making and tried to adjust their game to the demands of the situation.