India’s remarkable turnaround in the series is not the only thing that has left Australia wicketkeeper Matthew Wade surprised. After being stunned by the visitors in the series-opener at Pune, the hosts bounced back in style in the next Test as they won the match by 75-runs to level the four-match series at 1-1.
However, Wade is more surprised on India’s aggressive approach in Bengaluru. The Indian players led by the aggressive Virat Kohli looked fired up right from day one and despite being on the back-foot for the first two days of the Test, they went on to win the match. The Australian team, it seems, has learned their lessons from the second Test as Wade said his team would be keen to avoid a similar situation when the third match begins on March 16 in Ranchi.
“They’re always aggressive,” Wade said on Sunday (March 12). “The change from the first Test to the second Test was probably the initial shock. They came out a lot harder in the second Test than they did in the first.
“If you give them a sniff, they’ll run with it quite hard. Our job is to make sure they can’t get in the game, so they can’t get aggressive with us, and then really take the momentum away from us,” he added.
Speaking further on India’s approach in Bengaluru, he said:“When you’ve got a caged lion, you expect them to come out pretty hard to get away. That’s what happened in the second Test, we expect it for the rest of the tour. It’s not really our issue. We’ve got to play good cricket and beat them on skill. Emotion doesn’t win Test matches.”
Aggression has been a part of Australia’s cricketing culture for quite some time now and Wade said he too can use the verbal attack when needed.
“Getting older I probably tamed it down a little bit and I probably know when to use it a little bit more now, and when I need it myself. I probably don’t use it a hundred per cent of the time any more, but I’ve still got it there if I need it,” he said.