"Played bad enough to lose to India’s second XI"- Ian Healy lambasts the Australian team
Former wicketkeeper Ian Healy feels the Australian team were not hungry enough and went a 'bit soft' in the recently-concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which India won 2-1.
Captain Tim Paine and the team have have come under intense scrutiny for failing to beat an under-strength Indian team on home turf, as the visitors emphatically recovered from the Adelaide debacle to win the series.
Speaking on SEN 1170’s Drive, Ian Healy termed Australia's fielding as 'hopeless' while also saying in this regard:
"They weren’t right in the contest often enough. There weren’t hungry to convert 60 runs to 130 runs with individual totals. I just thought we were a bit soft this summer. That coaching staff and senior players, they need to put a finger on why we just didn’t play as well as we should have and rectify it. This team isn’t that bad. They just played bad enough to lose to India’s second XI. Our fielding was hopeless. Two things I’d work with is fielding and attitude, and the rest will follow." said Healy.
India have now won back-to-back Test series in Australia and are the only Asian side to win a series Down Under.
Many experts had predicted Australia to have a cakewalk primarily because they were at full strength, and Steve Smith was available as well. However, in a significant turnaround, India came out trumps against all odds.
Australia were not innovative enough: Ian Healy
Ian Healy's criticism didn't stop at Australia's fielding and attitude. He also had a go at Tim Paine and his deputy Pat Cummins for the series loss.
Healy felt the Australian captain let the team down with his wicketkeeping, especially off the bowling of Nathan Lyon, saying in this regard:
What I saw with ‘Painey’ in Sydney and Brisbane was that he mustn’t be training hard enough; his wicketkeeping technique was off when he kept to Nathan Lyon. I think his captaincy then suffered because he wasn’t trying enough as the captain. That then opens it up to what is the vice-captain doing? Pat Cummins, where are your suggestions on the field? Not much innovation at all, so that really does have to be discussed why all those people in that dressing room missed all that. It was a really strange performance by the captain, vice-captain, coach and the coaching staff".
The series loss has undoubtedly shaken Australian cricket, as the hosts were expected to comfortably beat the injury-ravaged visitors, especially after the crushing win in Adelaide.
However, despite India almost playing their second-string side, Tim Paine's Australia succumbed to a shock series loss, which has attracted a lot of flak and ire.