India’s comprehensive six-wicket win over Australia in the second of the two sides’ four-match Test series has helped them take an unassailable 2-0 lead and thus retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the fourth time in a row. While Australia gave India a scare on the second day of the match, they capitulated on the third, making victory a foregone conclusion for the Indians.
The match has elicited criticism for almost every aspect of Australia’s approach to the series, as well as praise for India, particularly their spin-bowling all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin. Former batsman Gautam Gambhir, on the other hand, has warned the hosts not to be complacent.
Gambhir cited the famous 2001 Eden Gardens Test, which Australia lost after Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman kept them on the field for an entire day in India’s second innings after the visitors forced a follow-on. India went on to win the match and, eventually, the series. The 41-year-old believes that if Steve Smith or Usman Khawaja score a big century, Australia will be similarly energised.
“If one of them scores a double century, you’ll recall Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman doing it when India was in trouble; one player scored a 280 (281) and another scored a 150 (180) after a follow-on, and India won the series. Such things have occurred. So you can’t rule them out, but there are a lot of issues “Gambhir stated on Star Sports. In the second Test in Kolkata in 2001, India was dismissed for 171 runs in response to Australia’s 445. The follow-on was then enforced by Australia captain Steve Waugh. However, Dravid and Laxman put on an epic 376-run fifth-wicket stand, and Australia ended up with a 384-run target to chase on the final day. They were out for 212 runs.
Gambhir stated that due to the pedigree of Australia’s star batters, he will not predict a 4-0 scoreline in favour of India, but those who are struggling cannot learn to play spin now. “I can’t say whether it will be 4-0 because there are still people in this dressing room, like Steve Smith, Labuschagne, and Usman Khawaja. If David Warner doesn’t play, the batting will depend heavily on these three players.
“I believe you can’t teach these batters defence right now. If you try to improve your technique in the middle of the series, you won’t even be able to score the 260 and 120 that you did. Individual performances, not collective performances, can help Australia stage a comeback “Gambhir stated.
“There are a lot of players in that locker room who will have so many doubts about themselves that it will be extremely difficult for them to recover. If Usman Khawaja scores a double hundred or Steve Smith scores a century or 150, Australia can achieve those totals, but technically, I don’t see them returning “He stated.
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