"You cannot score 445 in half an hour" - Sunil Gavaskar blasts Indian top-order's tame dismissals in BGT 2024-25 3rd Test
Former opener Sunil Gavaskar has slammed the Indian top-order for their loose dismissals on Day 3 (December 16) of the third Test against Australia in Brisbane. With the series tied at 1-1, India conceded the early advantage to the hosts after failing to capitalize on winning the toss and bowling first.
Australia amassed 445 in their first essay on the back of centuries from Travis Head and Steve Smith. In response, the Indian top-order of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, and Virat Kohli were blown away by the Aussie pace duo of Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.
While Jaiswal played an uppish flick off the second ball of the innings to be caught at the short square-leg region, Gill and Kohli played loose drives to fall for 1 and 3, respectively.
Speaking to Star Sports during the lunch break on Day 3, Gavaskar said as quoted by News18:
"Look at how Jaiswal threw away his wicket. When you have such a tough challenge ahead of you, you need to be patient and refrain from playing such shots. You cannot score 445 in half an hour, or even 245 runs – required to avoid the follow-on – in that time period. Shubman Gill chased a ball outside off, and so did Virat Kohli, which was unnecessary. So, there was no role of the pitch. They just played poor shots."
The three quick dismissals left India reeling at 27/3 in the 10th over, with KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant at the crease. They still trail Australia's first-innings total by a massive 418 runs.
"If it was on the fourth stump I could understand" - Sunil Gavaskar on Virat Kohli's dismissal
Sunil Gavaskar criticized Virat Kohli for his loose drive against Josh Hazlewood a delivery before the players went off the field due to rain.
The 36-year-old fell for a 16-ball 3, leaving his already woeful Test average this year at 25.06 in 17 innings.
"If it was on the fourth stump I could understand. This was wide, on the seventh, eighth stump, you could say. There's no need to play that. He'd be very, very disappointed, he'd be very upset with that. Even before Rishabh Pant faced a ball, the rain started to come down and the covers have come on. If Kohli had shown a bit of patience he could be not out with KL Rahul," said Gavaskar on Channel 7.
Kohli seemed to have broken out of his form slump with a century in the second innings of the first Test at Perth.
However, the veteran batter has recorded scores of 7,11, and 3 in his next three innings at Adelaide and Brisbane.