Michael Hussey praised particularly debutant Shubman Gill for his valiant knocks of 45 and unbeaten 35 at Melbourne in India’s reversal of fortunes. The 21-year-old batsman, who earned his maiden Test call-up in September 2019 but had to wait for his turn finally made it count when the opportunity came in 2nd Test as he hit India’s 3rd highest score on debut in Australia at Melbourne.
Michael Hussey is impressed with the way India have put behind their Adelaide performance and displayed quality cricket in the second Test to win and level the series 1-1.
Shubman Gill (Image Credit: Google)
Michael Hussey Admits That Melbourne Win Is An Excellent Response By India
Australia crushed India by eight wickets in the opening game of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, but India, sans their captain Virat Kohli, has put up a commendable show in the Boxing Day Test against Australia.
Michael Hussey explained that although he expected some team changes for India, the manner in which India have responded was something he didn’t quite expect.
“It’s been an excellent response, I must admit,” Hussey said on ESPNCricinfo.
“I felt as though coming into this Test, there sure will be changes. That’s a lot to be making after. As Rahane said, India played pretty well in the first Test, they just had one bad 90-minutes and it was all over. But over here, I think they have pulled the right reigns. They really have.”
Michael Hussey. Credit: Getty Images
Cameron Green (45) and Pat Cummins (22) added 57 runs for the seventh wicket with the pitch not aiding the bowlers. The partnership was broken only after the new ball was taken.
For India, debutant pacer Mohammed Siraj (3/37) took three wickets while Jasprit Bumrah (2/54) and Ravindra Jadeja (2/28) and Ravichandran Ashwin (2/71) took two wickets apiece to bundle Australia to exactly 200 after they managed 195 in 1st innings. The bowlers’ performance was more praiseworthy as the absence of Umesh Yadav who picked 1 wicket and limped off the field after bowling 3.3 overs wasn’t felt that much.
Michael Hussey: Shbman Gill Is A Classy Player
Michael Hussey was high on praise for Shubman Gill who made it count in debut Test. He gave India a fluent start in the first innings and even though the team lost Mayank Agarwal in first over without scoring, the debutant ensured India kept the scoreboard ticking. Shubman Gill batted rose to the occasion during his 65-ball 45, and Michael Hussey termed him as a player to watch out for in the future.
“Shubman Gill… what a classy player. Here’s a player who can play for the next 10 years for India. He looks classical and maybe he should have played the first Test in the first place,” Hussey explained. “Losing Mohammed Shami, I thought was going to really hurt India big time, but Siraj has come in and he’s done a really good job; stepped in like he’s been playing Test cricket for a number of years.”
Mohammed Siraj. Image Credit: Getty Images.
Experts and critics were not in favour of giving India a chance to roar back into the series, especially in the absence of talismanic skipper homebound Virat Kohli and injured Mohammed Shami. But it proved to be a blessing in disguise for everyone who came in as replacements, including Ravindra Jadeja, Rishabh Pant and Mohammed Siraj.
“I think they were worried about the batting a little bit. Obviously, after getting bowled out for 36 but also taking Kohli out of that batting line up. It really does weaken things so that’s probably why they decided to bring in Rishabh Pant ahead of Saha because he can give you that positive impetus with the bat,” Hussey explained.
The debutants, in particular, were terrific as Mohammed Siraj picked 5 crucial wickets and Shubman Gill aggravating 80 runs in 2 innings.
