"I think it was error of judgment" - Sunil Gavaskar on Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara dismissals in WTC final
Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar dissected the dismissals of Indian batters Shubman Gill and Cheteshwar Pujara against Australia on Day 2 of the World Test Championship final at the Oval in London.
India bowled out Australia for 469 in the first half of the second day, with Indian bowlers showing improvements from the erred lines they bowled on Day 1. Indian bowlers picked up seven wickets for 142 runs as Mohammed Siraj claimed a four-fer (4/108).
Australia reduced Rohit Sharma & Co. to 151 for 5 by stumps on the second day with Ajinkya Rahane (29*) and Srikar Bharat (5*) to resume batting on Day 3.
Two frustrating dismissals from the Indian innings on Day 2 were those of Shubman Gill and Cheteshwar Pujara with both batters getting cleaned up.
Australian speedster Scott Boland pitched three length deliveries against Gill that shaped away from the off-stump line.
A wobble- seam in-ducker, which was pitched just outside the off-stump, left Gill bemused and forced him to commit an error of judgment. The Indian opener shouldered his arms as the ball clattered into his stumps.
Cheteshwar Pujara's dismissal was a replica to the one of Gill. Australian all-rounder Cameron Green benefited from the significant amount of the uneven bounce offered by the Oval pitch.
The lanky Green bowled a nip-backer, which pitched on the outside off-stump length and came in sharply as Pujara left the ball only to see his stumps rattled.
Pointing out the similarity in the dismissals of Pujara and Gill, Sunil Gavaskar told Sports Today:
"For both the batters you can see…. Shubman Gill had the bat up in the air and there was no chance for him to bring it down when the ball nipped back in."
He added:
"Similarly with Cheteshwar Pujara… he didn't quite have the bat up in the air, he was up there and he thought the ball is going to miss the stumps, nip back in and hit the top of the off-stump. So those were two sorts of errors of judgment and maybe slight errors in technique as well."
Gavaskar further mentioned that the Indian batter lacked judgment and technically failed to tackle those deliveries. He added:
"I think it was error of judgment because they were consistently bowling around the off-stump and the ball was going straight. Both these deliveries didn't pack in."
He further noted:
"But I think one of the essentials of batting in England is to be playing the ball as late as possible which means you do not reach out for the ball, do not wait for the ball to come. And for that you need not to have your bat up in the air but down, and then at the last moment you can lift it up to let it go."
"India need to show a lot of gumption" - Sunil Gavaskar on chances for WTC final comeback
India are 318 runs behind Australia's mammoth 469 in the first innings and they need a solid partnership between Ajinkya Rahane and Srikar Bharat along with handy cameos from the lower order to bridge the massive gap.
Speaking on how India can still make a comeback in the WTC final on Day 3, Gavaskar said:
"I think we (India) need to show a lot more gumption, a lot more determination, make it difficult for these last five wickets to go. Maybe as many runs as possible, try and delay. Then try and get the Australians very quickly dismiss them for not too many (runs)."
He added:
"Never in cricket nothing is lost. At the end of the day, this is what Test cricket is all about. This is why it's called the ultimate Test. How you can spring back."
Earlier in the day, Australian batter Steve Smith (121) completed his 31st Test hundred, his ninth against India and seventh in England.