The highlight of the ongoing four-match Test series between India and Australia is the combat between Ravichandran Ashwin and Steve Smith. The legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar has also talked about it, stating that two are high-class players but admitted that India’s veteran spinner has got the better of him in the last two Tests.
Sachin Tendulkar has also explained how the Aussie batting mainstay got trapped in Ashwin’s bowling plans. Smith has registered a horrible figure of 1, 0 and 8 in the two Tests.
Ashwin removed Smith with an under-cutter that went with the arm in the first innings of the Adelaide Test. The off-spinner got Smith caught at leg-slip in the first innings of the Melbourne Test. In the second innings too, Smith was struggling to pick Ashwin before getting bowled around the legs by Jasprit Bumrah.
“In the first Test, Smith got out to an arm ball or you can call it a straighter which Ashwin releases differently. An off-spinner bowls a straighter which skids off the surface when fingers are not on top of the ball,” Sachin Tendulkar told the Press Trust of India.
“In the second Test, it was not a slider but fingers were on top of the ball which produced bounce and turn. Steve Smith played a normal flick to a regulation off-break that any batsman does by instinct and fielder was brilliantly placed there.
Sachin Tendulkar stated that Ashwin had well planned against Smith and the latter could not break it. As a result, he was awarded his wicket.
“It was a well-planned ball and wicket by Ashwin. Both are class players, so someone is going to have a better day and so far, Ashwin has come out winner in the first two Tests.”
Sachin Tendulkar on Australia’s batting line up:
Sachin Tendulkar also remarked the current batting lineup of Australia as unsettled. He reckons that they lack intent. Notably, Australia has not gone past 200 yet in the ongoing series, getting bowled out for 191, 195 and 200 in the three completed innings.
“When I look at this Australian batting line-up and look at some of the earlier line-ups, I feel earlier line-ups were settled ones. Those players batted with a different kind of intent but this team doesn’t look very settled,” Tendulkar said.
India gave Australia back a defeat after getting badly beaten in the first Test. They will face off each other in the third Test in Sydney.