Australia have endured plenty of nightmarish collapses on the subcontinent but the manner of their latest capitulation to India’s spinners – slumping from 1/61 overnight to 113 all out in 90 minutes and 115 balls of self-destruction – may make this six-wicket defeat the toughest of all to swallow.
India’s triumph secures them the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and ensures their run of eight years without a series defeat to Australia home and away will continue. But as much as they won the match, their opponents could hardly have made life easier for them.
Captain Pat Cummins’ dismissal, bowled by Ravindra Jadeja first ball to a wild slog across the line, told a story of a team whose mindset had been thoroughly scrambled.
“I’m probably as much to blame as anyone else there,” Cummins said. “Two big things we talk about is the tempo of the game and the method. Maybe at times a little bit too high tempo.
“I’d rather be high tempo than low tempo though, if those wickets are being difficult, but maybe the method went a little bit away from what we planned to do at times.”
Heading into Day 3 in Delhi with their noses in front after an engrossing first two days, Australia would have hoped for more gutsy batting like they had exhibited on the first day’s play, with any target of more than 200 sure to be fiendishly difficult to chase.
Instead, Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin feasted on a myriad of aggressive shots, the Aussies’ plan to bring the fight to the star spin duo quickly dissolving into panic.
Jadeja simply laughed after the game when he was asked whether it was a good idea to try sweeping his bowling in India.
“Disappointing, because this game was a similar story to Nagpur (in the) second innings; felt like we were in a really good position for most of it, probably a few runs short in the end,” Cummins said.
“I don’t think shock is the right word, we’ve played a lot of fast paced Test matches, especially over here, one session can seem a lot longer than two hours.
“I’d say just more disappointment, knowing that over here these opportunities don’t come up all the time, especially being relatively in front of the game, feeling like that game was there for the taking.”
Pat Cummins leads his team off the ground after they were defeated by India on day three of the Second Test at Delhi. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
A defence-first approach may have backfired just as spectacularly in the first Test in Nagpur, but surely there was a middle ground between that and the gung-ho embarrassment the visitors subjected themselves to.
Cummins was far from the only culprit; Steve Smith, Matt Renshaw, Alex Carey and Matt Kuhnemann also fell to ill-judged sweeps, to add to Usman Khawaja falling likewise on the evening of Day 2.
All up, nine of Australia’s batters mustered 35 runs between them, less than what either Marnus Labuschagne (35) and Travis Head (43) managed individually.
That pair, along with first-innings hero Peter Handscomb, were the only ones who could safely say they copped deliveries too good for them; Head feathering an edge behind to an Ashwin special, Labuschagne castled by a Jadeja offering that kept low, and Handscomb nicking a sharp-spinning ball from the same bowler to slip.
With incredible figures of 7/42, Jadeja, who claimed his final six wickets for just four runs to wrap up the tail, but it was Ashwin who truly started the rot, removing Head, Smith – for the second time in the Test – and Renshaw as Australia slumped from 2/85 to 7/95 in a matter of minutes.
While the pitch had plenty of demons, mostly in its uneven bounce, Carey and Kuhnemann of the lower order clearly didn’t take heed of the conditions when their ambitious reverse sweeps left their furniture disturbed.
With the ball, Australia continued to fight hard in defence of 114, and had they had more runs to defend would have well and truly given themselves a sniff of victory.
However, all they could muster was four wickets – including perhaps the last straw for KL Rahul, unluckily caught by Carey after a full-blooded pull ricocheted off Handscomb at short leg – with Cheteshwar Pujara marking his 100th Test with the winning runs.
Captain Rohit Sharma sacrificed himself for the milestone man after a disastrous mid-pitch mix-up, while Lyon added Shreyas Iyer to Rahul for a seven-wicket match haul when his attempt to end the game quickly saw him hole out to deep mid-wicket.
Todd Murphy also continued to impress, winkling out Virat Kohli after beating him in flight and seeing Alex Carey whip off the bails. Apart from that, though, there were few if any highlights.
There are positives to come out of this match; after an unseemly thrashing in the first Test, it was an improved fight from the visitors in hostile condition, with their first day batting and bowling throughout well and truly making a game of it.
However, all of it counts for nought thanks to 90 minutes of madness. A rare winning position in India, and a way back into the series, has been swept away in a flash – literally.
Tim the southerner
Guest
Disagree about Labuschagne getting out to a pearler, the ball didn't spin/deviate much/at all, he was just so far back in the crease that the ball keeping just a little low was enough to beat the bat. It seems our batters have really struggled to pick the spin bowlers length this series, or choose not to react to variations in length and adjust their shot selection/technique accordingly (pre-meditated plans?). If I was Andrew McDonald I'd be getting the batsmen to practice their front-foot forward defensive technique every waking hour between now and the next test.
Munro Mike
Roar Rookie
You need to remember - ther eIS a 'batting coach' - - Mike DiVenuto. (didn't play tests, did play ODIs). Being a test player alone doesn't ensure you're a good coach. Doesn't even ensure you're a good 'technician'. Andrew McDonald as 'head coach' is apparently keen to not over coach players but to allow them to develop their own game plans. And - you'd argue that that's ideal - - each player has their strengths and weaknesses and need to work out a strategy for themselves that they can sustain. It's a bit late now for a coach to be re-inventing players techniques and filling their minds with negativity. However...........IF McDonald has any influence at all on such things - - you'd hope it'd be to Cummins to at least have a sighter first!! The bigger questions are around George Bailey's selection panel and the 18 man squad sent with 3 injured players up front - given that Hazlewood picked up the achilles issue in the SCG test........which I'd argued he should not have been a walk up starter for given his recent injury history (last 16 months) and that (even rain affected as it was) he needed some shield cricket to prove his fitness. That doesn't take cricketing careers and credibility; it's just plain common sense of injury management. Let alone the punt taken on Renshaw, and Agar..........and going to India, loading up with Morris and as well.........but not taking a backup opener (Harris who had been permanent 12th man all summer and MUST be 'next in line'). WE might now see Head open the last 2 tests...Warner needs to be farewelled but Harris needs the gig in England.
Munro Mike
Roar Rookie
Just being a smidge cheeky. And as pointed out - Handscomb tried the sweep late in the first innings at Nagpur trying for runs as the tail crumbled around him............IF you're doing that then that's arguably the time to try it. And he's correctly put it away since.
sheek
Roar Guru
Don Freo, TBH, Benaud was better than a good tail-ender. For me, a tail-ender is 10 or 11, sometimes 9 depending on ability (or lack of). Benaud’s most usual possie was #7 (37 times) followed by #6 (19 times) & #8 (16 times) & #9 (13 times). #8 was his most successful possie, averaging 33.6. The others just over 21 or 20. His 3 centuries came at possies 4, 7 & 8. I would consider him a regular 7 or 8, probably 8 based on his overall test average.
Short Arm
Roar Rookie
Rellum, how then do you explain the fact that a lot of the good athletes, especially the really good track & field ones, are picked up in private school scholarships in their final two years. The majority of these come from public schools. So, are you saying that the private school system is solely to blame, the previous ten years had no influence on their development? I think the GPS schools provide the elite sports kid with good coaches & a decent competition to play in, how is that bad for their development?
qwetzen
Roar Rookie
Selectors and coaches have turned this tour into a shambles. Let's not forget CA. Their tour scheduling *and* their decision to allow Test players to play in the Big Slog were criticised at the time. I very much doubt though that any positive changes will be made in the future, they'll probably declare that the only way any decent prep can be fitted in is if we lop another Test off. Bah.
Choppy Zezers
Roar Rookie
No Don, no. No that is incorrect. How could you not know this?? Really? Okay Professor Choppy will explain: As test captain in Williamson: 40 tests Kohli: 68 tests Smith: 36 tests Root: 64 tests Now, Prof. Chop will give you some performance numbers. "Steve Fleming" Williamson averaged 31.47 as captain in 14 tests away from home with one century in 14 tests (57.43 at home) Kohli averaged 67.6 at home, 46.77 away and has the record for most double centuries as captain (7) Smith (81.41 at home, 50.76 away) Root: 46 home and away But Root only won one of his last 17 tests as captain. Smith went sandy in SA. Williamson led NZ to three test wins overseas: two against Zimbabwe and one against Sri Lanka (led NZ to 8 home victories) Since 2019, Kohli averaged 26 and his test average has fallen from 54 to 48. So he hasnt been a top 4 for several years. Kohli also resigned after losing in, gasp, Cape Town. (Dunno about Williamson, Prof. Chop thinks he probably called it quits after Cape Town, too) After all this, it's not so much the records of these four (which are all very good), but the blokes who replace them. And as for replacement fast bowling test skippers, dont feel for Pat. Spare a thought for our mate Tim Southee. Ouch.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
My comment was about Benaud's batting. He was just a good tailender.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
...and didn't each of those captain for over 50 tests and in the top 4 bats in the world all that time?
Insult_2_Injury
Roar Rookie
That's the problem with subjective grand statements, there's usually someone who has another view, or just more knowledge, or both! I would assume Tigerbill has an article out there somewhere which would confirm or deny that statement.
Ummi
Guest
India cannot play swing ball see results of last wtc final and nz tour they manage to play better here in australia because of good batting pitches.
Doctor Rotcod
Roar Rookie
I'd prefer Jhye Richardson to Hazelwood.
Micko
Roar Rookie
You watch South Park sheek???! :shocked: :stoked:
13th Man
Roar Rookie
What was the case before appointing McCullum that made him suitable as the England test coach? If not Ponting then how about Gillespie?
GP
Guest
Apart from Ashes 2005... and Ashes 2009, Ashes 2010/11, India 2008, India 2010, South Africa 08/09, yeah, his test record as captain is terrific. No other captain can claim that resume of series losses, terrific indeed. You keep talking about his white ball exploits as captain and coach. Fine. Make him the white ball coach. He does seem to have a knack for it But you haven't sold a case at all he belongs near the test team. I accept he's a good commentator, but his commentary absolutely does not reflect his captaincy. The tactical insight he broadcasts is the opposite to how he captained. He was a terrible test captain.
CubRoar
Roar Rookie
"...winkling out Virat Kohli after beating him in flight and seeing Alex Carey whip off the bails." Commentators said, unless I misheard, that this was Carey's first stumping in Test cricket. And Kohli's. The first was a little surprising. The second was a shock. Great match! Then day 3 began.
sheek
Roar Guru
Don Freo, Actually I checked Matthews, & he's nothing like the other two in reality. Matthews should have advertised himself as a batting all-rounder. Excellent test batting record, if dour & boring. But his test bowling is woeful. 1st class bowling is only adequate. And his 1st class batting was less than his test average. He probably got as much out of his ability as he could, but nothing special. Matthews: 33 tests, 41.09 batting, 4 x 100s; 61 wkts, 48.23 bowling, 2 x Pfeiffers. 1st class: 190 games, 38.91 batting, 13 x 100s; 516 wkts, 31.80 bowling, 22 x Pfeiffrs.
Doctor Rotcod
Roar Rookie
Rocket to Uranus,yeah. The thing that gets me is this: Here you have India under the pump. Talking second Test. Coach and captain - Tell your players, this is probably a once in a career chance to beat India in India. Don't stuff it up. Balls are staying low, keep your bat along the pitch. Hit in the V. Grind them, don't gift them. No glory shots. Step to the pitch of the ball with a straight bat and your eyes over it. Even a short step will do. Soft hands. Don't sweep. Don't sweep. Don't sweep.
Rob
Guest
NSW/ QLD players? Smith, Renshaw and Khawaja have been out once each sweeping. Handscomb was bowled sweeping last test. Carey has been out 3 times sweeping?
Pop
Roar Rookie
Just read it in context. Not hard to do