Well, it was in the making given how the Australian media cried foul before the start of the series. It was a thorough performance by the Indians. Ofcourse, they have problems of their own but for now, they can bask on the fact that they have overpowered a good Australian side with nonchalant ease. This is my review of the first India Australia test. It will be Indian perspective of that first test. I will follow this with Australian perspective. I will have to add here that I did not expect India to win this convincingly. Infact, I did not expect India to win at all. Especially, the first test given India’s batting woes.
Positives for India
Undoubtedly, the runs and wickets from the blades of Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja. Rohit Sharma was injured throughout most of 2022 and he seldom played red-ball cricket. As such, his exposure to the toughest form of the game of late is questionable. Whether he was ready to face the tough Australian attack was unclear. However, he dispelled all the doubts with a sublime innings. His innings was a big difference in India not only winning the test but to post enough doubts in the minds of the Australian cricketers.
Now, the Aussie bowlers will be under pressure to stop Rohit in the remaining games. They usually target the opposing captain and if that captain is kept silent from making runs or taking wickets, half the battle will be won because his thought process will be cluttered between his personal struggle and how to guide the team.
Jadeja did not show any signs of being raw. Just like Rohit, he was out of action for more than 6 months. However, the manner of how he paced the innings and how alongwith Axar Patel, steered India to safety was something beautiful. Jadeja’s batting has improved leaps and bounds over the last several years. The 90 that he scored against England at The Oval in 2018, has spurred him into achieving bigger things that he had always promised. Not for nothing can a 24 year old will be able to score not one not two but three triple hundreds in Ranji Trophy.
Jadeja & Axar Patel
If only he had concentrated on his batting during his initial years, he could have achieved lot more than what he has so far. Nevertheless, it is better late than never. India were in a slight bother when Jadeja arrived at the crease. He saw the departure of Rohit and Bharat in quick succession. The lead wasn’t that high. The temperament that Jadeja showed was excellent.
With the ball ofcourse, you expect Jadeja to be a menace in Indian conditions and he proved it again. One point worth mentioning is that, when the turn isn’t that extravagant on the first couple of days, it has always been Jadeja who has risen to the occasion rather than Ashwin.
As for Axar, I never rated him as a batsman but he proved me wrong. He could have thrown in the towel and could have played shots right from the beginning. However, under the guidance of Jadeja, he blossomed and went onto achieve his career best score so far. It augurs well for the Indian team who will always be able to play with 3 spinners who can all bat in Asia.
Negatives for India
Ofcourse, the middle order and Rahul. I am prepared to look away from Surya who made his debut but what of the continued failure of Kohli, Pujara and especially, Rahul. I have written enough about Rahul and for some reason, the management keeps backing him. Vikram Rathour, the batting coach even went onto comment that Rahul had scored a couple of hundreds and a couple of 50s. The statistics is correct but what goes against Rahul is the fact that there is a lengthy gap between his good and bad times. It is accentuated because of his struggle, particularly at the top of the order, in white ball cricket. If Rahul is the yardstick, there is nothing wrong with Prithvi Shaw.
Pujara broke his hundred-less streak against Bangladesh but it does not mean that his place in the team is certain. I do not have any comment on Pujara. The runs in the English County Championship Division II brought him back into the side and he has again been found out as being over the hill. How long will the selectors persist with him? Sooner rather than later, India will be faced with the prospect of multiple retirements almost at the same period. It is time to blood a youngster rightaway.
Kohli must have played Ranji Trophy instead of the meaningless ODI & T20 series against Sri Lanka and New Zealand. He got his priorities wrong. He knew that he has a weakness against spin. This is a direct result of not playing first class cricket over 10 years. It is bound to affect one’s ability to play spin with quality spin at the highest level being minimal. If only he had played the available Ranji games for Delhi, it would have done him a world of good.
The Indian medium pacers
No one expected Shami and Siraj to play any part in the test but they bowled outstandingly on a pitch that wasn’t offering any sort of help to the faster bowlers. The double wicket burst in the first innings set things back for Australia right at the start.
Special mention about Ashwin
He has once again proved that he is a master in India. He missed a golden opportunity to score a hundred with the bat but he more than made that up with the ball.
Wrapping up Indian perspective of the first test
India now have Australia on the mat, a difficult enough task. Now, they must ensure that it stays that way. Australia must not be given even a sniff because they will easily barge in. India must try to win the series at the first opportunity.
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