The Perth Test will be remembered by every Indian fan for a very longtime. Like the Gabba win in 2020, this will also be discussed in the same wavelength. It was a fabulous win and make no mistake about it. It was so heartening to see the Indian team put up a display that defied their current mental-state and their confidence. This is what Indian teams must be doing all over the world. There are far too many cricketers on this land not to dominate the sport. Afterall, cricket is the only game this country loves and it is incumbent on the board to ensure that the Indian team dominates wherever they go. It was a thorough display at Perth.

Having scored just 150, there was a sigh around the country, here we go again. Everyone expected the worst but it turned out to be bittersweet a couple of days later. This victory will do a world of good to the Indian team that was low on confidence having endured the worst defeat against New Zealand. A couple of inspiring selections and a brave call, were in hindsight, key contributions. The Perth pitch was tricky. Even the likes of Ricky Ponting or Steve Waugh or Adam Gilchrist would have struggled on a pitch that offered extravagant seam movement. Hence, it was no surprise that the Indian batsmen too struggled. For awhile, it looked like 36 all over again, a famlliar sense of dread swept through the supporters but the first burst from Bumrah overthrew all conventions and gave the millions some hope.

Yashasvi Jaiswal and the stupendous effort

During the 70s and 80s, scoring runs in the West Indies was considered as the epitome of batting. Australia was no different but West Indies had that edge because of their superior bowling. All of that changed in the 90s when the West Indies declined as a force and Australia grew gigantically under Mark Taylor, Steve Waugh and Ponting. Once in generation batsmen and bowlers were part of that team. Asian batsmen, including Gavaskar, struggled in Australia. The country was unforgiving for non-Australians. If anyone has scored runs in Australia, especially when they were the absolute undisputed champion side, that player has arrived on the international stage.

The current Australian team may not be as good as the earlier ones but they still possess a potent bowling attack. Even now, runs in Australia is considered a virtue. Here was Jaiswal, on his first trip to Australia, Prior to the tour, Nathan Lyon revealed that he spoke to the English offspinner, Todd Murphy to understand about Jaiswal. Having got out before scoring in the first innings, he set-off to make amends and wasn’t it amazing the way he went about his job? The captain, Jasprit Bumrah, spoke in glowing terms about Jaiswal.

Bumrah about Jaiswal

“Out of all these innings, he [Jaiswal] had a great start to his career,” Bumrah told the host broadcaster. “But the way he played in the last innings was probably his best Test innings so far because he left the ball. He has an attacking nature, but he left the ball well and played long. That really helped us.”

The challenge for Jaiswal will be, how to take this form forward and maintain it throughout the series. It is a long series and focus is bound to slacken but he will have to ensure that his focus and determination never wavers and when he is batting, he is completely tuned to the task on hand. Scoring a hundred in Australia has eluded so many good batsmen, Joe Root being the prime example. Jaiswal got one in the first Test itself. It is a huge tick against his ability as a batsman.

The debutants

Both Nitish Reddy and Harshit Rana proved that their selection wasn’t a mistake. Harshit has height and looks quite strong. However, he lacks pace to hustle batsmen on batting pitches. When the pitch did not have much assistance in the 2nd innings, he was easily dispatched for runs. He is young and will probably be able to improve his pace but he will have to do that rather quickly lest others will overtake him in the pecking order. Harshit will certainly remember his first wicket forever just for the beauty of the delivery. It showed his ability but with lack of pace, his impact will be limited to pitches that has some help for the bowlers.

As for Nitish, he had a dream debut. Important runs in both the innings topped with his first Test wicket. Just like Harshit, these are early days for Nitish. The Australians would have no idea what to expect from him. Now that they have seen him, he will have to be much more prepared and ready for Australia. He is sure to play at Adelaide where the pitch will help his bowling.

The old guards

Kohli and Rahul, it is soothing to see both of them among the runs. If not for Bumrah’s brilliance, my man of the match will be Rahul. It was his twin innings and the way he guided Jaiswal that was a catalyst in the win. This was an important Test for Rahul. I have always said that he has the talent and the ability but has muddled thinking. If only he could think clearly, he still could be the batsman that he threatened for so long.

Wrapping up a thorough display

I did not write much about Bumrah because everyone knows about his brilliance. However, I would like to say that he must become the captain because he has earned it. Bumrah himself admitted that he would like to continue on the job though he will also be happy to continue as Rohit’s deputy. It will be harsh to remove Rohit Sharma from the captaincy. It will look like he is being punished for being with his wife during the birth of the child though removing from captaincy is purely based on cricketing reasons. Nevertheless, it will be better if Rohit Sharma himself comes forward and relinquishes captaincy.

Other blogs about the series

https://icricketcritique.com/the-border-gavaskar-series/
https://icricketcritique.com/australia-clearly-is-the-favourite/
https://icricketcritique.com/series-between-unequal/
https://icricketcritique.com/so-the-perth-test/
https://icricketcritique.com/indias-likely-playing-eleven/
https://icricketcritique.com/why-protect-kohli/

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Whenever, a side from one of England, Australia, New Zealand comes to India, the one talking point is about the pitches. There will be lot of editorials on their newspapers stating that a minefield is awaiting their teams during their visit. Every pitch in any Test series will be doctored to suit the Indian spinners or to stump the visitors because of their lack of ability against spin. However, none of them thinks about the poor technique displayed by the visitors against spin. Not the perfect one but a better technique would have ensured that they prevail. Having said that, the Indian cricket pitches will probably have to change. Defeating India in India is one of the most toughest in the cricketing world. Defeating Australia and defeating South Africa are the other tough propositions. I have not included England or New Zealand because both the teams have lost rather a few games more than that is allowed. 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Just look at the number of games the Indians were tied down by spinners in white ball cricket that has prevented them from scoring huge runs or chase down one. The situation is not that better in Tests either. Nowadays, spinning pitches are prepared not because it is comfortable for India but because it is uncomfortable for the opponents. One other factor that warrants results oriented pitches is the WTC points system. It awards 12 points for a win and only 4 for a draw. It places great importance in playing attacking aggressive brand of cricket. WTC points is a significant motivator. Teams need wins to be in contention to play the final. Where does the chances for winning most of the games lie? It is at home where you know the conditions and you know how the pitches will behave. Hence, the need to prepare pitches where you give your team the maximum chance to win. “There is a huge premium on results,” Dravid said before the fourth Test. “You draw a game like Kanpur against New Zealand, where you take nine wickets in the second innings, you draw that game and that sets you back, in a home game. “Every team is getting results at home or are putting in really good performances at home, so there is a premium on results. You get four points for a draw and you get 12 for a win, so there is a premium on that, there’s no question about it.” It is time to return The downside of all this is that the averages and the performances of the batsmen have dropped drastically and the spinners are having inflated strike rates and averages. One will only have to compare the statistics of both Ashwin and Jadeja with their away record. It will clearly establish the fact that these two spinners, ofcourse they are good, are not as great as they are made out to be. 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Let the batsmen be able to bat confidently. For inspiration, India will only have to think about the pitches against England in 2017.

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