Australia’s batting has been nothing less than a disaster in the first two Tests of the ongoing four-match series against Team India. The visitors’ batting failed in both the tests as India registered crushing victories to take an unassailable lead in the series. The wins have also helped India retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Australia’s batting is yet to cross the 300-run mark in the series while they have scored more than 200 just once. In the first Test in Nagpur, the tourists managed to score only 177 in the first innings before being bowled out for just 91 inside a session in the second innings.
On the other hand, India had scored 400 runs to register an innings win. In the second Test, Australia showed some fight to score 263 in the first innings before suffering an almighty collapse in the second innings to be all out for 113.
Australis’s desperate attempt:
As Australia’s batting looked almost clueless in the first two Tests, they will be desperate to make things right in the third Test and avoid a fourth straight series defeat against India. And their head coach Andrew McDonald is hopeful that Mitchell Starc’s return could help his team score some crucial runs.
The left-arm pacer missed the first two Tests due to a finger injury and is expected to play the third Test. Unlike Australia’s lower-order, India’s lower-order has done really well in the first two Tests. Starc has scored two half-centuries in India and McDonald is hopeful of some similar performances from him if the need arises in the remaining games.
“They bat right through to nine, and that’s the reality,” McDonald said after the loss in Delhi.
“On the flip side to that, we’ve got to make sure we bridge that difference with our lower order as well. That’s been a distinct difference in the two Test matches so far, where you get a team five down and suddenly they creep out. They got 400 in that first game in Nagpur; it wasn’t a 400 wicket.
“We need to find runs. We knew that before we came away, that runs is always the biggest challenge in India. We felt like we’d be able to take 20 wickets, but how we find runs is really important.
“Mitchell Starc coming in, he’s had some good success with the bat, albeit he’s a lower-order player. He got 99 in Mohali (in 2013) and 62 in Pune (in 2017) on a spinning wicket as well. Do we play two quicks? All those conversations are happening but the bottom line is we do need to find runs, and that’s our big question,” he added.
Australia will be desperate to come up with a better show with the bat as well as the ball in the third Test to avoid another series defeat to India. They have lost their last three Test series against India including two at home. The third Test is scheduled to get underway on March 1 in Indore.
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