Aaron Finch questions Australian batters' lack of intent against Indian spinners in 2023 World Cup game

Former Australia opener Aaron Finch was unimpressed with the way his former teammates batted in their 2023 World Cup opener against India on Sunday, October 8, in Chennai. The now commentator questioned Australia batter's for allowing Indian spinners to dictate terms.

The visitors struggled against spin as Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, and Ravichandran Ashwin combined to take six wickets. The trio did not give the oppossition enough room to keep the scoreboard tickng in the middle overs. Australia eventually folded for 199.

In his column for the ICC, Finch noted how Indian spinners dominated Australia, writing:

"You can’t allow Jadeja, Kuldeep, and Ashwin to bowl how they want to bowl on a surface like that. They’re so accurate and so highly skilled - Jadeja has done it to Australia so many times now. Part of it comes down to how India bowled spin, but we also need to look at the way that Australia batted. There was a clear plan among the group to be proactive, to try to limit dot balls and rotate strike against what they knew would be a world-class group of spinners."

The turning point of the innings arguably was Steve Smith's wicket in the 28th over. Jadeja then managed to dismiss Marnus Labuschagne and Alex Carey as well soon after.

"They’ll be disappointed by the intent they showed" - Aaron Finch

Finch underlined that the Australian batters require a mindset shift to tackle spin-friendly conditions and need aggression.

"There was a bit of a lack of aggression from the Australian batters. I think they’ll be disappointed by the intent they showed and the fact that they weren’t able to put any pressure back on India. It needs a mindset shift, to look to be on the front foot a little more and take some calculated risks," he added.

Australia's next 2023 World Cup match is against South Africa on Thursday, October 12.