Victory In Pune Was The Best-Ever Performance By An Australian Side Overseas: Jason Gillespie
Feb 27, 2017 at 1:04 PM
Former Australian fast-bowler Jason Gillespie has said Australia’s performance in the massive 333-run win in Pune was one of the best ever overseas, if not the greatest performance by an Aussie side.
Steve Smith’s men exceeded all the expectations and defied all the odds to thrash their fancied opponents on a rank turner to help Australia register a win in India for the first time since 2004.
“It’s one of, if not the best, a performance by an Australian side overseas pretty much ever,” Gillespie told EON Sports Radio.
“With everything that was going against them, I think it’s right up there,” he added.
The right-arm pacer, who was a part of the Australian team that had won the Test series in India in 2004, further backed his country to win the series. He said the hosts would be under pressure to bounce back and the visitors could capitalise on it to claim the series.
“I don’t see why not,” he said.
“India have to make the play here and take some risks and be ultra-positive. Australia just needs to play, take the games deep, absorb pressure, put pressure on the (Indian) bowlers at times. And with the ball, it’s just a patience game,” said the former player.
“The simpler the Australian boys keep it, the longer the games go, the Indians will start to panic a little bit. They’ll start to create things when they’re not there and that is when the mistakes will come,” he added.
He also advised the Australian selectors to not drop under-pressure all-rounder Mitchell Marsh. The 25-year old is receiving severe criticism for his poor displays in the longest format of the game but with the Bengaluru pitch expected to assist the pacers, Gillespie feels that Marsh can play an important role in the second Test which begins on March 4.
“He made 31 in the second innings in a low-scoring game so he’s probably done enough, just, to hang on,” he said.
“But if they feel they can get away with two seamers, I would be tempted to potentially play someone like (Glenn) Maxwell, he’s a fine player of spin … he’s an under-rated long-form player.
” But I would envisage in Bangalore, they would need the backup seam option. The wicket won’t be as bad as it was in Pune,” he opined.