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Opinion

How does India respond to the humiliation of 36?

Roar Rookie
21st December, 2020
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Roar Rookie
21st December, 2020
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Half a session of relentlessly accurate, world-class fast bowling is what it took to bring the Indian batsmen on their knees and eventually give in with 36 runs on the board.

It was bowling of the highest quality and proved too stern an examination for India to pass.

What works for India, though, is that this was the first of four Test matches, and the fact that it ended well inside three days provides plenty of time for the think tank to retrospect and work on some of the shortcomings.

So how exactly can India make their way back into this series?

Virat Kohli of India

(Photo by Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images)

1. Tell themselves that it was an aberration
Now, this in no way is suggesting that India put in even a half-decent performance on Day 3, but the last thing they’d want is to create self-doubt within the camp by telling themselves that they aren’t good enough. Test cricket is as much a mental game as it is technical.

You don’t get skittled out for 36 too often, and India should accept that it was an absolute freak of a performance from Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins that defied all sorts of cricketing logic, data and statistics.

2. Decisiveness in footwork
The batting coach, Vikram Rathour, has his work cut out for the next week or so. He must constantly remind his batsmen that the fundamentals of shot-making require preciseness of footwork, be it during defence or attack. More so outside of the Subcontinent, you must commit. As immaculate as Australia were with their lines, India were tentative with their footwork.

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Just by looking at how Tim Paine played, one can learn so much. When he wanted to cut he rocked right onto the backfoot, and while in defence he got forward and played it like he meant it.

If India let the indecisiveness of Adelaide creep into Melbourne, the game could potentially be lost before it even starts.

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3. Drop Prithvi Shaw
If it wasn’t evident enough from his batting, Shaw’s fielding was an accurate reflection of where his level of confidence stands. At this point, yes, there are technical flaws, but the mental demons are eating into his strengths as a cricketer.

For a free-flowing batsman like him, confidence is the name of the game. To maintain and lift that confidence, characters like Shaw require a bit of special care and must be looked after, perhaps even more than the rest. For his own sake India must drop Shaw and allow him some time off the game.

Years later, after scoring thousands of Test match runs, Prithvi Shaw will tell us of how tough a time this was and the fact that it proved to be the turning point of his illustrious career.

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4. Lift the fielding standards
Going by the number of times that Jasprit Bumrah managed to induce chances, he should’ve had a fifer.

The fast bowlers are the heartbeat of this Indian team. The batsmen have been letting them down for a couple of years now, and if the fielders start doing the same, it won’t bode well for the morale of the side.

Neither the slip catching nor the outfield catching was up to Test match standards, let alone being suitable for the No. 3 ranked side in the world. Fielding posed an issue on the New Zealand tour, but it was let off as an exception. Now, it’s a reason for concern, and depending on the results that follow, it will only be highlighted further.

If India are to fend off the demons of Adelaide, the senior pros in Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane must assert themselves with big, mighty hundreds. The MCG will in all likelihood provide a flatter surface and India should at worst look to settle for a draw.

Going into Boxing Day, Australia hold a firm advantage and surely won’t shy away from a sledge or two on how this indeed will be remembered as ‘the summer of 36’.

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