Page 37 - The Indian EYE 031023

SPORTS MARCH 10, 2023 | The Indian Eye 37

for long enough, we’re good enough
players to get the results we’re after
more often than not,” he added.
While batting collapses for Aus-
tralia throughout the series might
have made for a nervy run chase, es-
pecially after Usman Khawaja fell for
a duck in the second innings, Travis
Head (49*) and Marnus Labuscha-
gne (28*) steered them to a stirring
win.
“The message at the start of
the day was to take the scoreboard
out of play and pretend like it’s day
one and we know if we are batting at
lunch then getting 75 runs was more
likely. The guys did that nicely and
when Travis got his opportunity after
getting himself in and they changed
the ball, it looked like it wasn’t re-
sponding quite the same, and Heady
put the foot down and played to his
areas and there you go, we got over
the line,” Smith explained.
“They are pretty hard to come
by, for us to get on top in this game,
particularly after losing the toss and
fielding first as well, it shows the tal-
ent in this group and the belief we’ve
got in ourselves. We screwed up I
suppose in Delhi is one way to put it. India’s Captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli shake hands after the 3rd Test match against Australia on day three of third Test (ANI)
We had an opportunity there and let
that slip, but we had a good break and eran spinner Nathan Lyon ensured one spot. This is where we made a received three demerit points,” ICC
a good preparation coming here and Australia’s dominance in the second mistake in this Test. We will correct it said in an official statement. Spin-
it was just about getting our mental innings, as he almost dismantled the come the Ahmedabad Test.” ners from both teams got a lot of help
states right, we’ve done a lot of work entire Indian batting line-up, picking The entire Indian batting line-up from the surface that was conducive
it was just about trusting ourselves, up 8 wickets. Speaking in the post- collapsed in a dramatic fashion in the to spin right from the start on day
trusting our methods,” said Smith. match conference Rohit opened up first innings, to finish at 109. At that one, which saw 14 wickets fall. Out
“Playing the game for longer on what went wrong for hosts in the point, many questions were raised re- of the 31 wickets that fell during the
periods of time and having faith that third Test. garding the pitch and India’s choice whole match, 26 were scalped by the
we’ll succeed and taking the result “If you look at all the dismissals, to play on such conditions. Former spinners while only four wickets went
out of play, we know with this group we played poorly. Of the ten wickets, Australia batter Matthew Hayden to pacers. A batsman was run-out.
we have got a lot of quality players maybe (in) one or two (dismissals), criticised the pitch on air. “The report has been forwarded
and if we are trusting ourselves and the pitch did help the bowler a lit- While commentating on the to the BCCI, who now have 14 days if
playing to our methods for a long tle bit. But other than that, I think it opening day of the third Test, he said, they wish to appeal against the sanc-
period of time then we are going to was the skill of the bowler to fox the “There’s no way, spinners should tion,” the statement said.
have more success than we’re going batsman that stood out. We played come to bowl in the sixth over. This “The pitch, which was very dry,
to fail,” he added. some poor shots as well. We didn’t is the reason I don’t like these kinds did not provide a balance between
Australia’s latest triumph came apply enough pressure on their bat- of surfaces.” bat and ball, favouring spinners from
on the back of a superb bowling per- ters. If you look at the way Australia On Day-2, the former southpaw the start. The fifth ball of the match
formance from veteran off-spinner played, they scored 197 (in their first continued in a similar vein, saying, broke through the pitch surface and
Nathan Lyon, who collected 11 wick- innings). Had their last 6 wickets not “It’s an absolute desert. It is so dry.” continued to occasionally break the
ets for the match to more than make collapsed for a few runs, they could surface providing little or no seam
up for the unexpected absence of have even reached 250-275. And, ICC RATES INDORE PITCH movement and there was excessive
Cummins due to family reasons. on a pitch like that, 275 was a damn AS ‘POOR’ and uneven bounce throughout the
good score. So, lack of concentration nternational Cricket Council match,” the statement quoted Broad
WE PLAYED POORLY: ROHIT and application is what I would at- (ICC) on Friday rated the pitch as saying.
SHARMA tribute our loss to. You got to apply Ifor the third Test between India According to the ICC Pitch and
yourself and bat as long as possible, and Australia at the Holkar Cricket Outfield Monitoring Process, a ven-
ndia skipper Rohit Sharma on taking all your chances in the middle Stadium in Indore as “poor” under ue gets suspended from hosting any
Friday gave an honest assessment
Iof what went wrong with the team and not letting the bowler ball six its Pitch and Outfield Monitoring international cricket for a period of
balls on one spot. Even if a bowler
Process.
12 months if it accumulates five or
in the third Test of the ongoing series tries to zero in at the same spot ball “ICC Match Referee Chris more demerit points over a five-year
for the Border-Gavaskar trophy. after ball, as a bowler, you got to try Broad submitted his report to the rolling period.
India struggled in both innings as
The final Test of the series in
Matthew Kuhnemann ran the show and do something to put him off his ICC expressing the concerns of the Ahmedabad has a lot of significance
match officials and after consulting
line and length and that is something
for the Aussies in the first innings we didn’t do in this game. In both with captains of both teams. Follow- for India even though they are ahead
with his maiden 5-wicket haul. Vet-
innings, we allowed them to bowl at ing the assessment, the venue has in the series.
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