IND vs AUS 2022-23, 2nd Test: 'Angry about the way Australia went about its work' - fumes Allan Border
IND vs AUS 2022-23: Australia witnessed another utter collapse, as India smacked it by six wickets in the second Delhi Test. Meanwhile, Allan Border lashed out at the Australians for their misplanned strategies and gameplay.
FollowShell-shocked, Australian legends Allan Border and Matthew Hayden have lambasted Pat Cummins and Co. for their second innings collapse in the Delhi Test against India, where pre-determined sweep shots led to their downfall. Leading by 62 runs, Australia started the morning session of Day 3 with a slight advantage.
However, the visitors were blown away by spin bowling in the first session. They lost six batters to sweep and reverse-sweep shots, including Steve Smith, Matthew Renshaw, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins and Matthew Kuhnemann. In 90 minutes, Australia went from 65/1 to 113 all out. Former captain Border felt Australia panicked, and none of the batters tried to defend.
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"I'm disappointed, shell-shocked, angry about how we went about our work today. It was panicky, frenetic batting. No one tried to get in there and stem the flow with good defensive cricket. They [Australia] were getting out playing sweep shots, reverse sweeps to just about every ball," Border spoke on Fox Cricket.
"You can't get away with that on this track. You've got to have a method where you play within your limitations. You're not playing on a flat belter where you can expand your game. When playing on a difficult surface, you've got to work out where your scoring options are and bat some time at the crease," added Border.
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Former opener Hayden couldn't believe what he was seeing. "I can't believe what I've just witnessed. They're world-class players, and they've got everything to win in this session and everything to lose. They did it so well last [night] in those few overs, strong scoring rate, good defence, and proactive batting, but what we've seen here is a disaster for Australia. It's a disaster because they've gone way over the edge in their aggressive play," Hayden expressed during commentary on Fox Cricket.
Hayden was particularly furious over Cummins, who, despite seeing wickets tumbling as nine pins, went for a big sweep only to get out on the first ball. Hayden felt the skipper should have read the game better. "You've got to think on your feet plus read the game. You've got about 13 people in that dugout that aren't playing the game, all having their say on it, and what they would have said knowing the trend of this venue is that the first session is tricky - it's not like the last session of Day 2, where the conditions slide on, the ball is hard and drier wicket. It's a little tacky this morning, so think! And then, plan in the middle accordingly as a partnership," Hayden said.
Former batter Michael Hussey felt the current squad blew the chance of keeping the series alive as India won the match by six wickets to retain the Border Gavaskar Trophy. "They [Australia] will be bitterly disappointed. They were in front of this Test match today - nine wickets in hand with a 60-odd run lead. Unfortunately, they just gave it away. Many of them gave their wickets to the Indians. They [India] bowled well, but I feel they gave them their wickets," he concluded.
(With inputs from PTI)
