3 Indian players who flopped in the 3rd Test vs Australia
Team India's hopes of claiming the Border-Gavaskar Trophy outright took a slight hit on Friday, March 3 in Indore as Australia claimed the third Test by nine wickets to bring the series scoreline to 2-1.
There were a few notable performances from the home side's players in the Test. Axar Patel remained unbeaten in both innings, while Cheteshwar Pujara made a supreme fifty in the second essay. Umesh Yadav contributed with both bat and ball as well. However, most of their teammates failed to deliver.
Here are three Indian players who flopped in the third Test against Australia.
#3 Mohammed Siraj
This one might be slightly harsh, but Mohammed Siraj has been in this exact position far too many times to be excused. His game awareness has often been called into question, and the third Test provided multiple instances of the same.
Siraj bowled just six overs in the match, all in the first innings, and kept things tight. He didn't have much bowling to do on a spin-friendly surface, but the team needed him to contribute to their cause with the bat. Of course, it would be unreasonable to expect the fast bowler to score runs, but he is expected to at least apply himself.
In the first innings, Siraj was run out by Axar Patel as the southpaw attempted a risky second run. The run was arguably never on, but the former should've either turned it down or at least ran the first harder. Then, in the second essay, he attempted a wild hoick after dancing down the track to be castled comprehensively.
It wouldn't be a surprise if India replace Siraj for the Ahmedabad Test. He's a great bowler, but the other facets of his game need serious improvement.
#2 Rohit Sharma
Captain Rohit Sharma was one of India's standout players in the first two Tests against Australia. He made important batting contributions in both games and was excellent with his captaincy as well. But things came undone in Indore.
The toss was probably the only thing that went Rohit's way in the third Test. He was out without being out twice in the very first over of the game and was eventually stumped by Matthew Kuhnemann. In the second essay, the opener was deep in the crease to an off-break from Nathan Lyon and was trapped in front, with the manner of his dismissal having been seen before.
Rohit was rather pedestrian with his leadership, too. His batters played irresponsible shots, and while that was not entirely in his hands, his bowling changes and batting order decisions weren't optimal either. Axar Patel, in particular, was underutilized.
Rohit, the captain, is under pressure for perhaps the first time in his Test career. It remains to be seen how he will respond in the final match of the series.
#1 Ravindra Jadeja
Ravindra Jadeja is still an excellent candidate for the Player of the Series award, with consecutive Player of the Match accolades to start the assignment. His performance in Indore, though, was sub-par.
Jadeja's tendency to defend with his bat alongside the pad was always going to catch up to him, and it happened in both innings. He survived an LBW appeal in the first innings, but off the very next ball, he slapped a loose delivery from Lyon straight to the fielder at cover. In the second essay, the Aussie off-spinner gobbled the left-hander up LBW with ease.
Jadeja's bowling wasn't as accurate as it usually is, either. He picked up four wickets in the match, but was uncharacteristically inaccurate on occasion. The left-arm spinner beat the bat several times but wickets were rather hard to come by, not to mention his perennial no-ball issues.