India have bundled out Australia for 191, 195 and 200 in three out of the four innings so far.
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As both the teams are gearing up for the third Test in Sydney, Australia head coach Justin Langer praised the visitors, saying they have been distinctly well-planned and disciplined, especially in the bowling department.
“…their greatest strength over the last couple of series has been their discipline. They (India) have been so well disciplined…I have loved the last two Tests because the wickets have been a contest between bat and ball and you have got to work a bit harder and that is what Test cricket is all about,” Langer said at a virtual press conference, as quoted by PTI.
Australia have been bundled out for 191, 195 and 200 in three out of the four innings so far.
Asked about his team’s low-scoring in the current series, Langer cited various factors, the biggest being India’s lethal accuracy with the ball.
“So, I think, there is the factor of the wickets that we have played on, there is certainly some seam movement, there was a little bit of swing in both those wickets. India have (has) taken a straighter line to a couple of our batters and set the fields accordingly,” he said.
The Australian coach also had special reserved for India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and speedster Jasprit Bumrah.
Ashwin and Bumrah have claimed 10 and 8 wickets respectively in the first two Tests so far.
“And let’s not discount Ravi Ashwin, how many has he taken 380 Test wickets? The great bowlers are the ones who are hard to score against and (Jasprit) Bumrah is certainly up there at the moment, Ashwin is up there at the moment, we are aware of it,” Langer said.
“We know how we like to play our cricket as Australians, but credit to India, very well-planned, as you would expect they have discipline in their bowling, the wickets that we have played on have been competitive, so we are aware of that and I’m not too stressed about it (scoring rate),” he further remarked.
Langer also said that they are working on strategies to tackle the Indian spinners.
“I think we have got to look at our strategies against the Indian spinners. Ashwin is bowling in very well and we have worked hard on that last week or so.”
Langer concluded by saying that there is a lot of batting talent in Australia and it is all about opportunities.
“Obviously, Davey (David Warner) coming back in after injury, you always welcome back your great players back into the team. There is plenty of batting talent in Australia and it is all about opportunities, obviously.
“You fit six batsmen in at one time, so it is all about opportunities,” he pointed out.
The penultimate Test will start on January 7 at the Sydney Cricket Ground.