IND VS AUS 2023: Steve Smith: Australian side lost nine wickets in the morning season on 3rd day of the Delhi test match, eventually getting bowled out for 113 runs. India defeated Pat Cummins-led side by six wickets in the second test match of the Border Gavaskar Trophy.
Visitors were criticised for their batting approach in the second innings of the test match, former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar said that it was painful to see Smith getting out while playing a sweep shot.
Manjrekar believed Khawaja’s success was the reason for Australia’s collapse in the second innings-
“Khawaja played all the sweeps there are in the modern game and succeeded. He got 81 in the first innings after scores of 1 and 5 in Nagpur. That success of Khawaja actually was the main reason for Australia’s batting failure in the second innings. Each Australian batter after that came in with a mindset to attack and that too with the sweep shot; ‘sweep to succeed’ seemed to be their motto,” said former cricketer cum commentator Manjrekar.
In the first innings of the Delhi test Usman Khawaja played exceptionally well, he scored 81 runs in 125 balls. While in the second innings, almost five Australian players were out playing seep shots, India’s spin twin Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin together dismissed all batters of the visitors’ side in the second stint of the test match. Left-arm spinner Jadeja picked seven wickets in Baggy Greens’ 113-run stretch in the second test match.
“It was painful to see Smith try the sweep and get out in the second innings. This is a batter who got one of the greatest hundreds seen on Indian soil from a foreign batter in Pune in 2017, a Test that Australia won,” said Manjrekar.
Marnus Labuschagne ✅
Steve Smith ✅@ashwinravi99 gets 2⃣ big wickets in one over ??#TeamIndia #INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/UwSIxep8q2— BCCI (@BCCI) February 17, 2023
“If Smith and Labuschagne had not bought into the overall team tactics, I have no doubt they would have made this win for India far more hard earned. I believe Peter Handscomb, Smith and Labuschagne are good enough batters to play their natural game and make valuable contributions to their side. All the three judge the length of spinners really well and are secure in defence,” further concluded 57-year-old Manjrekar.
Team India will now be looking to win the third test match of four test match series to secure their place in the World Test Championship final. Rohit Sharma-led side will take on Pat Cummins-led Australia for the next test match at Indore on March 1st.