Legendary Australia captain Ian Chappell has said that India exposed Australian batters’ fragilities against spin in the first Test in Nagpur which the visitors lost by a huge margin of an innings and 132 runs.
Australia managed just 177 and 91 in the two innings whereas India posted 400 in their only knock. None of the Australian batters crossed fifty in the two innings, with Marnus Labuschagne’s 49 in the first do being the highest score in the match for visitors.
Chappell reacted to the poor batting and said that Australia should stop thinking about pitches in India and just concentrate on their job.
Player of the Match Ravindra Jadeja picked 7 wickets including a fifer and scored 70 runs, while R Ashwin picked 8 wickets including a fifer, while Todd Murphy, on debut, picked 7/124.
“The first Test has exposed Australia’s weakness against good spin bowling on turning pitches. If they can ensure this setback doesn’t mean their mental capacity to cope in India is not dented, it will keep them in the series. If they waver, they are in big trouble,” Chappell wrote in his column for ESPNCricinfo.
While Australian media accused India of doctoring the pitch in Nagpur in the build-up to the Test, Chappell said that it was “by no means impossible to play on.”
“The noise was exactly that in the case of the pitch. Not unexpectedly, it turned out to be nothing more than a fairly typical first-day Indian red-soil wicket. It was by no means impossible to play on, as Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith showed, but Australia failed to post a testing first-innings total.
The media making allegations about pitch doctoring is nothing new. Players need to ignore this little game or else it has a debilitating effect on the visiting team. Far too much emphasis is put on how pitches are going to play and on doctoring. It’s worth remembering that both teams have to play on the same pitch,” he added.
Chappell then praised the Indian side and lauded them for their ability to win in all conditions. He also praised Rohit Sharma for his incredible knock of 120 on this pitch.
“The reality is that India have developed into a very strong side all round the world, with a special feel for how to win at home. If Australia, who have a weakness against spin in India, don’t adapt to conditions quickly, they are going to suffer the same fate that has befallen other visiting sides,” he said.
Chappell further questioned the omission of off-spin all-rounder Travis Head.
“The omission of Travis Head, despite his troubles against good spinners, was difficult to fathom. The choice of off-spinner Todd Murphy in his first Test after only seven first-class games was brave. Nevertheless, it also displayed great faith in Murphy’s skills.
In the end, the choice Australia made, to favor economy over wicket-taking potential, quickly took its toll and India capitalized on bowlers tiring from a heavy workload,” he added.
(PTI inputs)
