Indian Veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin feels that Australian lost their plot in the final three games of the Ashes series after being 2-0 up against England in the away series. The Pat Cummins-led side was completely outplayed in the last three matches, as they found themselves lucky to draw the series after rain helped them to retain the Urn in the 4th test in Manchester.
After winning the first two games in a thrilling fashion against the aggressive England attack, the Australian team was too defensive in their plans in the final three games, as they failed to apply pressure on the England team with both bat and ball in the five-match series.
Analyzing the series on his youtube channel, Ravichandran Ashwin said that baggy green lost their way in the final three games as they were too defensive in their approach going into the tames and reckons that though Australia has retained the Ashes, the Ben Stokes-led side continued their aggressive brand of cricket in the longer format of the game.
“A mistake that Australia did in the last three Tests is that, when your foot is on the pedal, you should not even think about hitting the brake. I don’t know whether their DNA got mapped this way or whether their ego took over. They lost the plot in all three Test matches playing too slowly,” he added.
“Australia retained the Ashes, but England have shown yet again that they are playing a form of cricket that is entertaining,” Ravichandran Ashwin said.
Ben Stokes’s led side made a stunning comeback into the game in final day of the game as they rattled the Australian batting lineup on the final day to draw the series 2-2 on home soil, as they played extremely well against the Aussies team in the last three games of the series.
Nathan Lyon Was More Like An Important Cog In The Wheel – Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin feels that Nathan Lyon was an important miss for the Australian team in the final three games, as his absence was felt by the team in the crucial games stating that their attack became a one-dimensional one and reckons that led to a change in the Aussies strategy of going without a spinner in the team on the Manchester test.
“Nathan Lyon was more like an important cog in the wheel. It’s not easy to replace the cog in the wheel. This Ashes is a prime example of that. Once Lyon got injured, their attack became one-dimensional,” he said.
“They played both (Mitchell) Marsh and (Cameron) Green in one Test. They dropped Todd Murphy in Manchester where the ball usually turns,” Ravichandran Ashwin added.
Australia was 2-0 up after the first two Tests and for them, it was an opportunity missed to win an away series after 22 long years on England soil. Pat Cummins’s led-side will look back on things they have done wrong in the series which led to their dismissal performance in the final three games of the series in England.