Former Australia captain and commentator Ian Chappell on Sunday (January 17) said the “fragility of both Australia and India teams' batting” has made the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy “enthralling” while hailing the tourists for the brilliant fight back so far in the Test series.
At the moment, the four-match Test series between India and Australia are tied at 1-1 with both teams battling out in the series decider ongoing fourth Test at the Gabba, Brisbane to clinch the trophy.
Chappell wrote in his column for ESPNCricinfo: “The fragility of both teams' batting has contributed greatly to the enthralling nature of the series. A collapse seems never far from happening, and consequently, neither team has been able to establish absolute authority.
The resilience and fight shown by India have been matched by the class of the Australian attack and their never-say-die attitude.”
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The Aussie great also believes that if India and Australia manage to qualify for the ICC World Test Championship final, then it would be a great contest for the Test Championship mace at Lord’s next year. However, he also pointed out that the Indian batsmen are no longer the best players of spin.
He continued, “If these two teams reach the final of the World Test Championship and they are both at full-strength, it should be one of the great winner-take-all battles.
First and foremost it's no longer correct to say Indian batsmen are the best players of spin bowling. They may not be worse than some others but they're definitely not better than the rest overall.”
Chappell further explained his statement about Indian batsmen, “There have been times in this series when they certainly were not smart players of spin bowling. In the first innings at the SCG, Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara were classic examples.
They both plodded forward in defense to the ball after ball from Nathan Lyon, which is not only lazy footwork but is also asking for trouble. Neither was dismissed by Lyon but it was more good fortune than sound footwork.”
While calling Team India for an improvement in catching, Chappell said they need all-rounder Hardik Pandya in the Test line-up to challenge the oppositions.
He added, “To round out India's best side - one that will provide a real challenge if they reach the World Test Championship final - they need Hardik Pandya at full fitness. His all-round presence gives India more selection options in order to take advantage of their blossoming and versatile attack.”
Chappell signed off by saying, “The other area of need for India is improved catching. There's no point in having a strong attack if they're constantly thwarted by spilled chances. That leads to Rishabh Pant's presence as a keeper. He's fine standing back but he hurts the team standing up to the spinners.
If Pant regularly bats as he did in that spirited second-innings knock in Sydney, then he justifies wearing the gloves. However, if the standard fare is only quick-fire thirties, then there's an argument for Wriddhiman Saha retaining the gloves.”
(With ANI Inputs)
