The expected Adelaide debacle 1

The Adelaide debacle was more or less expected. It is tough to bat against the pink-ball which swings a touch more than the red-ball. The mission is extremely challenging if the batsmen attempt to do it without proper practice. Just 50 overs of practice session with the Australian Prime Minister’s XI will not prepare any team for bigger challenges ahead. Having said that, the Indian team, particularly the batsmen, cannot escape blame. Agreed that they have not practiced much with the pink-ball. Infact, they would not even have seen the pink-ball until they landed in Australia. However, the lack of backbone shown by the batsmen is what is worrying for every Indian fan. The expected Adelaide debacle continues a chastening trend of batsmen failing when the conditions are tough.

Ideally, the Adelaide Test must have been the first of the series. Prior to that, India must have played atleast a couple of practice games with the pink-ball. It would have meant that the team was not only prepared against the pink-ball but is also prepared for the whole tour ahead. The BCCI as is their wont, does not really care about Indian cricket or the reputation of the team.

They are intend on making money in every possible way that they do not mind scheduling games right until the night the team is supposed to depart. The BCCI must also remember that every board and every cricket team, wants to see the Indian team defeated because they are unable to challenge the might of the BCCI. Hence, they satisfy their ego by defeating the Indian team.

The players too, have increasingly become averse to playing preparatory games ahead of such important tours. They indulge themselves in what they call, selective preparation. It involves preparing the pitches that resemble the actual Test pitches. It can never replace the traditional practice games even if the pitche seldom resemble the actual Test pitches.

Deteriorating batting performance

None of these absolves the players from their own failure. In the 3 Tests against New Zealand and in the 2 Test against Australia, the batting has completely floundered. Except for a couple of innings in 10, the batsmen have failed to go past 250. You do not get to win games by scoring less than 250 unless you have Marshall, Holding, Garner and Roberts in the bowling attack. Even among the two, one innings must be discounted because it was predominantly a two-men show. Pant and Sarfaraz made full use of a docile Bangalore pitch when the conditions were bright and ideal for batting. It was only in the 2^nd innings at Perth, the batsmen as a whole, contributed.

Otherwise, it has been a dismal couple of months for the batsmen. The only exception is Jaiswal who could be excused for his lack of experience and having contributed enough runs since his debut. It does not mean that he can afford a miserable series in Australia.

Where is the middle order?

What is frustrating is that the chances of a couple of wickets going down early on pitches that aid fast bowling, is part and parcel of the game against the shiny red cherry. However, the middle and lower order is expected to arrest the slide and post a total for the bowlers to defend. In the 2^nd Test against New Zealand, Harry Brook and Joe Root pulled England towards dominance from a precarious position. Nowadays, it is safe to assume that if India is 20/3, they will be invariably bowled out for less than 100. The middle order has become lacklustre. Kohli is the big elephant in the room. No one wants to state the obvious. Rohit will not because his own spot is under threat.

Gambhir must show the mirror to Kohli and tell him, you carried the team for 5 years and the rest have carried you for 5 years. Enough is enough. Your spot will be under consideration. Lack of runs at Brisbane, you can consider yourself dropped for the reminder of the series. The problem with that is the fact that Gambhir and Kohli have a history of animosity towards each other. If Kohli is dropped purely based on cricketing reasons, there will be section who will assign ulterior motives to the move.

Rohit’s comments

Rohit said, “We were 30-40 runs short with the bat in the first innings. And then there were opportunities when Australia was batting and we failed to take those chances [Travis Head was dropped on 78; he made 140]. And obviously when you miss those chances, it is never easy and it’s not going to be easy. The opposition will always make you pay for it and that’s what happened. And then in the second innings as well, we thought the conditions were better. Again, we were not good enough with the bat.”

It is all well and good to say that we were not good enough but when will the tide be arrested and when will it be reversed? This has gone on for too long. Against England, in March 2024, the batting wasn’t that spectacular either. It was adequate. Jaiwal alone towered above the rest with Rohit and Gill chipping in a couple of times. Otherwise, the batting wasn’t solid against an England team that lacked decent spinners.

An alarming statistic is that there has been just one score of above 100 in the first innings this season by an individual batsman. It wasn’t by a batsman but by Ashwin. More tellingly, 16 ducks in the first innings. Teams cannot hope to post any threat with such batting performances. Unfortunately, Rohit does not consider this statistic frightening and that defeat in seven sessions of cricket, terrifying.

Wrapping up the expected Adelaide debacle 1

Rohit himself lacks serious consistency. It is tough to score runs in Australia for any Asian batsman. More so for a batsman who missed the first Test, to bat against the pink-ball under lights. It is not Rohit has lost form but it is much more serious than that. At 37, with slowing reflex and skill, he has reached the end of his career. A top score of only 62 in Australia, despite multiple tours will only make the Australians wait with glee for they know that it is just a matter of few deliveries. Rohit is not in a position to suddenly reverse his fortune in Australia and score lots of runs in the remaining games.

His batting maybe pleasing to the eye but is of no value if the same pleasing batting does not result in runs. His captaincy was also extremely poor. Rohit has been an overrated batsman in Test cricket right from the time he made his debut. He had a stellar 3 years in the middle but apart from that, his returns have been mediocre at the best. It really is a wonder how much fame he has gained over the years despite the poor returns. Perhaps, it is purely because of his exploits in white-ball cricket.

BGT 2024