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Adam Gilchrist says the Australians can bounce back in the series in India, but it will take an awful lot of hard work without Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath.
Gilchrist, who also retired from international cricket earlier this year, said today he was optimistic Australia would fight back in the third Test starting in Delhi on Wednesday.
Australia trails 1-0 in the four-match series following a crushing 320-run defeat in the second Test at Mohali last week.
But Gilchrist reckoned the pitch at the Feroz Shah Kotla Ground would be tailor-made for India, especially their skipper and champion leg spinner Anil Kumble.
“There’s a great challenge there, but I’ve got no doubt our guys will come out tomorrow fighting,” the record-breaking former Test wicketkeeper said today at the Sydney launch of his autobiography “True Colours”.
“I’m sure that the little bit of time off that they’ve had enabled them to regroup and get their direction right, so I expect them to come out fighting hard.
“The wicket in Delhi is definitely tailor-made for this Indian line-up.
“I think Anil Kumble’s record there is impeccable, so there’s a lot of evidence to support India as being very comfortable there.”
Asked what magic ingredient Australia needed to turn the series around, Gilchrist fired back, “Warne and McGrath”.
The champion pair snared 1271 wickets between them before they retired from Test cricket last year.
Without them, Australia has struggled to blast through the powerful Indian batting lineup twice so far, taking 14 wickets in the drawn first Test and 13 in the second.
“I’m not saying this Australian team can’t bowl the opposition out, far from it, but what we did have in McGrath and Warne was two bowlers well supported by other bowlers that we knew we were going to knock teams over,” Gilchrist said.
“We really are noticing the value of Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath. We had them in the same team for more than a decade.”
In their absence, Gilchrist said Australia would need to work very hard to turn their fortunes around.
“There’s no magic ingredient, hard work, which from a distance I think I’ve witnessed happening, guys trying to prove their fitness and trying to overcome adversities,” Gilchrist said.
He was adamant his successor behind the stumps, Brad Haddin, was “tailor-made” for the position.
“It (India) is a ruthless place to wicketkeep,” Gilchrist said.
“(Haddin) is going to serve Australian cricket very well for a number of years, I just love his courage.
“His thumb is absolutely shattered.”
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