"Gave the Australians some easy balls " - Ian Chappell on Ravindra Jadeja's spell on Day 1 of 3rd IND vs AUS Test

Former cricketer Ian Chappell believes that while India's Ravindra Jadeja picked up four wickets on Day 1 of the third Test against Australia in Indore, he wasn't consistent with his line and length.

Chappell reckoned that Jadeja gave the Australian batters a few "easy balls" early in his spell. He pointed out that the visitors were a lot more disciplined with the ball, bowing economic spells without adding a lot of variations.

Speaking about Jadeja's spell on ESPNcricinfo, Chappell said:

"The Australian spinners bowled much better than India. There was no variation in line and length from the Australian spinners. Even Ravindra Jadeja, who got the wickets, I thought there was way too much variation in his line and length.

"He gave the Australians some easy balls and very importantly, the Australian batters put them away."

During the same discussion, former opener Wasim Jaffer also highlighted that the Indian spinners tried a lot of things as they were desperately in search of wickets. He also noted that they couldn't afford to have a lot of fielders in catching positions as the side didn't have enough runs on the board.

"India were looking to get wickets but because the target was so low, they couldn't have too many fielders close to the bat," he elaborated. "But I thought they tried too many things and leaked too many runs. For the first time in this series, India looked under pressure."

Notably, Jadeja was the pick of the Indian bowlers. He picked up all four Australian wickets that fell on Day 1. However, the Aussie batters were able to accumulate some crucial runs to take an important 47-run lead in the first innings.

That's Stumps on Day 1⃣ of the third #INDvAUS Test!

4️⃣ wickets so far for @imjadeja as Australia finish the day with 156/4.

We will be back with LIVE action on Day 2.

Scorecard - bit.ly/INDvAUS-2023-3… #TeamIndia @mastercardindia https://t.co/osXIdrf9iW

The Indian batters, on the other hand, struggled on the dust bowl as they were bundled out for just 109 runs. Matthew Kuhnemann bagged a five-wicket haul, while senior off-spinner Nathan Lyon finished with three wickets.

"Kept it simple" - Wasim Jaffer on Matthew Kuhnemann troubling the Indian batters

Wasim Jaffer lauded 26-year-old left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann for his impressive bowling performance on Day 1 of the ongoing Indore Test.

He mentioned that the bowler tasted success as he kept things simple and bowled into the stumps consistently. The former cricketer also suggested that attacking the stumps is the best option for a spin bowler on Indian tracks.

"I thought he bowled really well," Jaffer added. "He attacked the stumps and kept it simple. He didn't try too many things and didn't want to bowl any fancy deliveries. If you bowl in the stumps in Indian conditions, you are going to get a lot of purchase. He didn't give a lot of flight as well for the Indian batters to step out."

It is worth mentioning that Kuhnemann was not originally named in Australia's squad for the Test series in India. He was added to the side ahead of the second Test as a replacement for Mitchell Swepson, who flew home for the birth of his child.

Kuhnemann had a forgettable debut, picking up just two wickets in the Delhi Test. Following the game, Ian Chappell questioned the spinner's selection, reckoning that he wouldn't trouble the Indian batters.

Matthew Kuhnemann with a brilliant spell 🔥

#CricketTwitter #india #australia #indvsaus https://t.co/DgKLtO001S

However, Kuhnemann successfully managed to turn things around in his next appearance, helping his team take the pole position in the do-or-die fixture.