From Sunil Gavaskar
The capitulation was sad to see. A team that went down under with hopes of winning a series for the first time being swept away by pace and bounce was a sorry sight.
Even sorrier was the feeling that this might just be the first of the losses in the series. Make no mistake, if on a pitch where the ball came on to the bat nicely and with an even bounce getting dismissed for under 300, then on pitches with a bit more in them, how will they cope?
Remember in England too India with this formidable batting, at least on paper, were unable to get to 300 till the last innings of the Test series and unless someone plays an outstanding knock and has some company, the Indians could struggle to get to 300 in Australia too.
Yes, the next Test is at the Sydney cricket ground where India’s batting has usually flourished and its spinners have got some turn, but it is the manner of the dismissals that does not give scope for much optimism.
It would be interesting to see how all those who criticized the authorities for not sending the team early to England will react now that the team went almost two weeks before the first Test, and also played two warm up games against quality sides.
Fact is if acclimatization was the only issue then shouldn’t India have done well from the second Test in England. Ok, shouldn’t they have done well in the third Test then? And shouldn’t they have won the one day series since they were in England for two months by then, and should have got used to the pitches and the weather?
It does not matter how much time one spends in another country. What matters is not the physical adjustment, but the mental one and this has been Indian cricket’s drawback from time immemorial.
Sure, there will be some players who do that but if the majority in the team do not do it then, defeat is just round the corner.
It is not only the batsmen who have to make that change in approach, but also the bowlers. India plays so much one day cricket that bowlers become defensive and are looking to stop runs rather than take wickets and batsmen are looking to attack even deliveries that they shouldn’t.
Leaving ‘unscorable’ deliveries alone is vital in Test cricket which is a five day format, but a batsman cannot afford to leave too many in limited overs cricket. This is the reason they are playing at deliveries outside the off stump reaching for them.
So is all lost then for India? It will all depend on how quickly they realize that they are playing Test cricket and not limited overs cricket.