IND vs AUS 2023: Michael Clarke Slams Pat Cummins For Poor Captaincy Calls On Day 1 Of Nagpur Test

Former Australia skipper Michael Clarke has criticised Pat Cummins for his tactics on day one of the ongoing Test between India and Australia at the VCA Stadium in Nagpur.

At the end of the first day, Australia were firmly on the backfoot as India outplayed the visitors with both ball and bat. Pat Cummins won a good toss and decided to bat first but his team just could not capitalise on it.

The tourists were off to a disastrous start as their openers – Usman Khawaja and David Warner – departed after scoring one run each. The likes of Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Peter Handscomb and Alex Carey got the starts but could not convert them.

In the end, Australia were all out for just 177. For India, Ravindra Jadeja was the star of the show, taking 5 wickets. Australia could not make much of a mark with the ball either as the hosts finished the day on 77 for 1.

India skipper Rohit Sharma led from the very front and scored an attacking unbeaten fifty to give his team a flying start. The skipper was unbeaten on 56 off just 69 balls when the day came to an end.

Michael Clarke on Pat Cummins’ captaincy:

Following the day’s play, Michael Clarke made it clear that he was not impressed with some of the calls made by captain Pat Cummins on day one of the Nagpur Test. The former cricketer-turned-commentator stated that he  was “surprised” with the tactics.

Pointing out Cummins’ defensive field placements, Michael Clarke said that the Australia captain must “look to take wickets” instead of thinking about defending the runs despite their low total.

“I know they’ve only got 177 runs on the board, but you’ve still got to look to take wickets,” Michael Clarke said on Big Sports Breakfast.

“I was surprised at Pat Cummins’ tactics yesterday. He had a long-on every ball Nathan Lyon and Todd Murphy bowled.

“If the ball’s spinning like you think it is, for them to try and hit one over mid-on’s head brings in an inside edge to mid-wicket, brings in stumped, brings in bowled, brings in caught bat-pad.

“I know we haven’t got many runs and that’s a tough one for Patty to work with, so he’s trying to give his bowlers some protection, but you want the batter to try and take a risk.

“You want them to try and take a risk and hit that one over the top. If they hit one or two over the top, fair play, put him back. But he’s just got to be really smart with his tactics here.

“If India get 280 to 300, mate, they might not have to bat again,” he added.

Also Read: IND vs AUS 2023: Ricky Ponting Explains Reason Behind Australia’s Shock Call To Drop Travis Head For Nagpur Test