The former spin bowler of Australia, Kerry O’Keefe, has revealed the plan for the home side against India to win the five-match Test series in the Border Gavaskar Trophy (2024-25) at home for the very first time since 2014-15 and make a successful qualification to their second consecutive final of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25, where they will defend their title against South Africa at Lord’s from June 11.
Kerry informed that the ploy for Australia before the start of the series was to break down the Australian captain, Rohit Sharma, as the latter’s future hangs in balance, following the disastrous trip. The veteran opening batter of the Indian side finished the BGT 2024-25 with the help of just 31 runs in five innings at an average of 6.20 with the best score of ten.
The Nagpur-born came into the series after a struggling time at home against the spinner of New Zealand when he could manage only 91 runs in six innings at an average of just around 15 with the help of one fifty, which he celebrated during the second innings of the opening game at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Chennai.
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Before the start of the series at the Optus Stadium in Perth in November last year, the expert of Fox Cricket mentioned that Australia would be using their old tactics of bringing down the careers of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, which will ensure an automatic struggle for the entire team.
“If Australia can break the skipper and make him anonymous, it empowers them”- Kerry O’Keefe
Virat made a smooth start in what is expected to be his last potential Test tour in the country with an unbeaten knock of 100 runs in the second innings. But apart from that, the veteran right-handed batter at number four could record only 90 runs in eight innings at an average of just over 11 thanks to the constant struggle against the deliveries outside the off stump.
Rohit missed the final game of the series after his 31 runs in five innings at an average of 6.2, his worst-ever average recorded by a touring skipper in Australia. This led to the opening batter missing the final game of the series as he opted out of the decider, which saw the premier fast bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, leading them for the second time.
“So it’s come to pass. The Australian tactic, for years, has been to look to bring down the opposition captain, and it’s been, if you look at the series they’ve won, it’s worked the whole time.”
The former New South Wales-spinner felt Australia tried to pull off their tactic against Ajinkya Rahane in 2020-21 when the latter was the leader of the side in the absence of Kohli for paternity leave. But they couldn’t break him as well as Jasprit Bumrah, but once the baton was passed in Adelaide, the explosion took place. The veteran pointed out how the Pat Cummins-led side didn’t do the same with Shan Masood, Kraigg Braithwaite, and Tim Southee.
“They couldn’t get Rahane Ajinkya the last time, and he won the series. But if you look at the captains, they’ve brought down in recent times, Sharma. Tick. Shan Masood with Pakistan. It was three-nil. Kraigg Brathwaite, it was one-all, but they were on top of Kraigg. They went to New Zealand and brought down Tim Southee, winning two-nil.” The former leg spinner of Australia shed light.
“They couldn’t bring down Bumrah. He was too good. But then the baton was passed to Rohit Sharma, and they brought him down straight away, to the extent that he withdrew from the final Test. So that’s a tactic they seem to want to do if they can if they can break the skipper and make him anonymous, it empowers them.” Kerry O’Keefe concluded.