A Forgettable Debacle Down Under

Image design: Bala Kumar


Hello Friends,

It seems like start of 2025 hasn't been that impressive for Indian cricket fans as India lost the Border-Gavaskar trophy 3-1 to Australia after winning it  last four times. More than the defeat nature of the losses & factors related to it was disappointing. A big series like this always draws attention of the media. This time too it was no exception. Throughout the series media from both the countries was extremely vocal. There were quite a few controversies too related to the Indian team which is very common for a team that is not performing upto its usual standards. India came into this series after a shocking home series whitewash by New Zealand. So there was already a sense of doubt brewing among the fans regarding their chances against the Aussies. But they surprised everybody by smashing the home team comfortably in the first test under the captaincy of Bumrah. That was the first win & eventually turned out to be their only win in the series. Even though it is being said that the whole series was well fought & both the teams had their moments but a scoreline of 3-1 clearly indicates which team grabbed those big moments more often than not.

Already  a complete shake up of the Indian red ball setup is slowly becoming the talk of town. But one thing that  all the stakeholders of Indian cricket need to remember while chalking out plans for future is for a failure like this instead of only players' performances entire system should be held responsible. Two of the major factors for India's loss has been batters' consistent below average show & over reliance of bowling department on Bumrah. Both the factors  raises questions about cricketing structure in the country. If  data to be collected on how many of India's top batters (Red ball team specifically) have participated in domestic cricket in last five years it's going to be an embarrassing one for most of them. As far as fast bowling unit is concerned India's bench strength in that regard was quite brilliant a few seasons ago. In fact a strong fast bowling unit was one of the major reasons why India won the series down under last couple of times. But this time around there seems to be a clear lack of planning in that part.

One thing that both the teams acknowledged was the difficulty of the  pitches used in the series. These were extremely difficult pitches to bat on and the stats of the batters give a clear indication of the same. But that can't be an excuse for such a performance. Batters like Steve Smith or Travis Head showed during the series how a better application can fetch you favorable results even in extreme conditions. Young Yashasvi Jaiswal who was touring down under for the first time emerged as the top run getter for India. In one way if it's a shining spot in a rather disappointing tour, it also is an eye opener for the senior batters who completely failed to raise their game even in a series of  five test matches.

Among  a string of controversies that troubled the men in blue the ones which grabbed the most eyeballs were Ashwin's mid series retirement & Rohit Sharma's opting out of the final test. Rohit Sharma the designated captain for the series deciding to sit out for the final test of the series due to  lack of form can be justified & even be termed as one of the most selfless acts by a captain. But a senior pro like Ashwin retiring mid series & coming back from the tour immediately definitely raises serious questions about dressing room atmosphere. Even if he doesn't play most of the games considering the conditions were not spinner friendly his inputs in terms of overall strategy making could have been valuable. Ashwin himself or the team management might have their own ways of denying anything skeptical about the whole incident but such a rare incident in Indian cricket will definitely be a talking point in coming days.

As far as Australia's victory is concerned it was definitely a well deserved one. Lot of factors worked well for them or rather we should say that they made those factors work for them. Their loss in the first test caused severe criticism too. But they didn't panic and kept faith on their strategy which eventually brought them the desired result. For the Aussies it was a complete team effort where each and every member of the team stood firm at some point during the series. At the same time not to forget the way their selectors & team management decided to hand three debuts in a high voltage series like this. All the three debutants had their moments specially Beau Webster who played a significant role in the final test to clinch the series which also happened to be his first in baggy green.

Even Aussie batters struggled in their home conditions considering the extreme nature of the pitches. Technically sound opener like Usman Khawaja had a torrid series facing Bumrah in pace friendly conditions. But they didn't get bogged down by their poor performance in the first test & stayed firm with their plans. Their determination paid off as each & every batter played significant roles during the last four tests of the series. If Head & Smith were the table toppers with twin centuries to both of them, not to forget the important knocks played by Carey, Labuschagne, Khawaja & three debutants McSweeney, Konstas & Webster during the series. End of the day it boils down to what differently you can do to come out of a rut which the hosts did a lot better compared to the visitors. Kudos to Steve Smith who continuously kept tweaking his batting technique to get adjusted  to the conditions. Even though he was in news for missing out on test aggregate of 10000 runs by just 1 run, result of the series would have been satisfactory enough to overshadow a personal landmark.

Last but not the least is the contribution of their bowling unit. Even after a senior pro like Hazlewood being ruled out mid series due to injury didn't affect the home team's chances as Scott Boland who came as the replacement played an important role in the series victory.  Leader of the team as well as bowling unit Pat Cummins was relentless throughout the series.   Entire bowling unit complemented each other extremely well which was a major difference between both the teams.  As mentioned for the Aussies it was a collective effort which includes players who performed, support staff who ensured the team is in good shape specially during difficult times & the selectors who were brave enough to take bold selection calls like dropping veteran Marsh in favour of new comer Webster. Before the start of the tournament Australia suffered a big blow by loosing allrounder Cameron Green due to injury similar to India's loss of Mohammad Shami. But the hosts were determined enough to reach their goal no matter what & did that too.

Now let's talk about few deciding factors that were the difference between a win & a loss starting with India.


Batters Vs Pitches

It is no surprise that batters struggle in Australian wickets specially the ones coming from subcontinent. India has produced such talented batters over the years that they even dominated the Aussie bowlers on their own backyard during the last two tours. But this time around that was not the case. Pitches were definitely difficult. But great batters always find a way to score even on the most difficult wickets. Criticism is definitely due for the Indian batters as prior to this series they struggled big time even in home conditions. Australian batters struggled too on those pitches but as the series progressed they could apply themselves better and score runs. Steve Smith's fighting hundred in the Brisbane test was a perfect example of how one needs to grind longer on such wickets to succeed.

Influence of IPL on Indian cricket can't be ignored in this regard. Our batters play on completely flat wickets during IPL where batting technique hardly comes into picture. That's one of the reasons why they are even struggling to score on turning tracks back home. Is it only failure of the batters? No, the system has a big role to play in this. Even if we consider the nature of T20 cricket which suits flat tracks, still there has to be a balance. Another major factor for batters' under performance being their hesitation to participate in domestic cricket. Not to forget Indian domestic cricket is still considered as one of the toughest and yet our star batters don't show much interest to take part in it before a tough away series. Whereas Australian players made sure to give themselves some time in the middle during the initial phase of their domestic season just before the India series. Getting your basics right is so crucial.

It's again a question of what an individual prioritizes and how the board supports their intent. Why are we so obsessed only with IPL heroes or the ones who have a past reputation of high performance but not recent? Shouldn't it be made a point to give domestic performers a long rope in international cricket irrespective of which phase of their career they are in? Why can't star batters participate in domestic cricket even when they are not injured & there is no international cricket  schedule? These are the questions that the administrators should consider & plan the move forward accordingly. Within a span of six months a team is winning a world cup in one format & loosing back to back series in another format can't be acceptable. If we have to prioritize IPL then simultaneously we need to find a solution to ensure that the oldest format of the game is not compromised. Only the players who show that intent to keep improving game after game should be nurtured further. Recent performances of  the team is definitely a wake up call  for all the stakeholders of Indian cricket.


Jassi Jaisa Koi Nahin

Lot has been spoken during the series & even after completion of it on how Bumrah single handedly kept India in the series. In former cricketer Harbhajan Singh's words if it was not for Bumrah India would have lost the series 4-0 or 5-0. It's a fact that he fought like a  lone warrior throughout the series. His player of the series award is truly justified. It was the ineffectiveness of the rest of the bowlers & some questionable team selection that put the additional burden on him. Eventually he couldn't bowl during the most critical phase of the series due to injury concerns. It was  evident from the amount of bowling load he was dealing with throughout the series that at some point of time he would crumble. Unfortunately for India it happened at the most critical juncture when he was needed the most. Bumrah's presence in the final innings of the series could have impacted the result big time.


Bumrah was adjudged as the players of the series for his 32 wickets in the series
Image credit: CRICKETNEXT, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons


Team management should also take the blame for Bumrah's injury to some extent. Considering his history with injuries & the way his workload has been managed over the years team management could have planned better for his backup. Even in Sydney under extreme pace friendly conditions India decided to go with two spinners instead of an additional pacer. Such decisions really damaged India's chances of a win. These are the situations where role of the leadership group becomes so crucial in terms of decision making. In the same test if we look at Australia they took a smart decision to drop out of form Marsh to bring in debutant Webster who could support both with bat & bowl. In fact Webster's bowling became a big boost for the hosts considering their spearhead Starc was also not 100% fit for the final test. It was a clear difference of smart decision making that impacted the end result.

Coming back to Bumrah, he was also carrying the additional responsibility of captaining the side in two of the tests. He was equally impressive as a captain too. In fact the only test that India won was under his captaincy. One aspect that makes him a class apart is his simplicity in approach. Just like his bowling his leadership style was simple too. He guided the team nicely towards victory in the first test & that too by an impressive bowling performance. India needs more leaders like him who can take that additional responsibility & give their best to fulfill the same. In his own words as the team is going through a transition as a senior member  he has to guide the other members of the bowling unit. We might have lost the series but the kind of performance he delivered in this series will be remembered for ages. Hopefully team management plans better in future to nurture such a rare talent.


Selection Puzzles

As already mentioned in the post that questionable selection calls played a big role in India's below par performance. A lack of stability in terms of selection was a common feature throughout the series. If a new player was roped in he should be given that confidence specially during the tough times to perform. Rohit Sharma's batting position was altered considering his poor form. That eventually affected Rahul's batting position. Washington Sundar's selection in Perth ahead of Ashwin, in Melbourne ahead of Gill  & in Sydney ahead of an extra seamer was a big question mark. New comer Harshir Rana was backed for the first two tests & then was not considered even in most seam friendly conditions in Sydney. Despite scratchy performances Siraj & Jadeja were persisted with throughout the series.

It was not that India didn't have the backup options, but the lack of intent to take bold calls in terms of  selection hurt them badly. Call to back Nitish Kumar Reddy gave fruitful results though his bowling was not as effective as his batting. His batting performance gave some sort of cushion to an already struggling batting unit. Horses for courses theory gets you desired results in a big series like this. That's what the hosts did in terms of their selection & got the results in their favour. It is safe to say that neither Indian batters nor the leadership group were brave enough to play bold. India being the holders of trophy could have played with lot more freedom & put the pressure back on the hosts considering they had to win the series to regain the trophy. But eventually it was the Aussies who fought like wounded tigers & brought back the elusive trophy home after a long wait.

Amidst the talks of loss in Australia one more important result is not getting enough attention is India's failure to book a berth in third consecutive WTC final. That was a big opportunity lost considering till six months back they were well ahead in the race & a strong contender. On the other hand Australia ensured that they grab their opportunity of sealing a WTC final spot during the home series instead of depending on the result of a tough series in Sri Lanka later this month.

All in all it was a great series for the spectators who poured in record numbers to witness one of the toughest rivalries in modern day cricket. But as far as Indian cricket is concerned this series along with their performance in the past six months is a big wake up call to take some bold calls in terms of player selection as well as approach going forward. Hopefully corrective measures will be taken in due course for the betterment of Indian cricket irrespective of how good or bad they seem.

Now let's take a look on the victorious side.


Multiple Heroes

One of the major lesson in any sport or business involving a team is any kind of big success is always a result of collective effort rather than individual brilliance. Australian men's cricket team has been a prime example of the same in multiple occasions. If we consider their last couple of years their three big successful campaigns have been ODI world cup win, victory in last WTC final & retaining the Ashes in England. Interestingly all three wins have been a result of team effort. This series win is no exception and this will go down as one of their best in the cricketing history. They were completely outplayed in the 1st test. Criticisms were floating from everywhere. Under such circumstances in addition to an ageing batting unit being scrutinized for a while they showed extreme mental toughness to pull off this victory. Even the stats prove that as this was their first test series victory from being behind since 1997.

Every member of that playing eleven stood up at some point in time during the series to show why they are so valued in this team. That's how they won most of the big moments. Steve Smith & Travis Head were expected to score big considering their past records against India & they didn't disappoint their fans even though the run scoring wasn't as smooth as it was expected due to the pitches. There was a  lot of speculation regarding Labuschagne's place in the team due to his lacklustre form in the recent times. But the team backed him  & he did reply with some crucial knocks. Wicketkeeper batter Carey was at his usual fluency & contributed with some tricky knocks down the order. Usman Khawaja who had a terrible time facing Bumrah throughout the series played a crucial knock in Sydney when it mattered the most. Even the debutants McSweeney, Konstas & Webster all played their part. The entire batting unit complemented each other so nicely that once fragile looking batting order was ready for the big challenges as the series progressed.


Boland played a crucial role in series win for the home team
Image credit: Neb, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons


When it comes to the bowling group they were the real heroes as they overshadowed the shortcomings of the batters more often than not in the series & that was the case for both the teams. If the pitches were horrifying for the batters the bowlers found it as their perfect ally. Cummins, Starc & Lyon were at their usual best. Even Hazlewood was good enough before getting injured. But the  man who deserves a lot of praise is Scott Boland who came in as a replacement for Hazlewood. His contribution in three tests that he played was immense. His accuracy with the bowl made it doubly difficult for the Indian batters. Not to forget his role with the bat when he stitched a match winning partnership with Lyon in the Melbourne test match. Often included as the replacement to any of the frontline pacers he always proved his mettle & now definitely deserves a long run. What a team man. Having a player like Boland in reserves is such a privilege the Aussies have. It's the story of a perfect team that can climb mountains by backing each other.


Striving For Perfection

As professionals we strive to improve ourselves every single day. This is an even bigger truth for a sportsperson. Considering career of  a sportsperson is always a limited one, performance graph is expected to be a lot curvier as they keep trying to improve after a low phase. This was an evident feature in this series. India's batters' poor show continued throughout the series except for a few individual brilliances whereas Aussie batting unit battled hard to find their rhythm as the series progressed. That accountability to perform was seemingly missing from the Indian batting group. It was not that they were not trying, but somewhere down the line that result should be visible specially in a big series like this. Here too the team management should take some responsibility as why the deficiencies of the batters could not be sorted out even in a span of five test matches or even bold calls been  taken in terms of team selection. Australians as known to be thorough professionals played the series like a group on a mission & eventually achieved the desired result.

Consistent batting collapses has been troubling Indian side for a while now. It's high time players & leadership group show some accountability and take the right calls for improved performance.


Captain Corageous

As far as captaincy is concerned Pat Cummins definitely wins the race, not just because he is the winning captain rather for his relentless approach both as a bowler & captain. For a while now since he is going through a golden patch as a captain. Results under his captaincy indicate an upward graph for the team. Best part about his leadership is being his simplistic approach even in toughest of the times. Even after loosing the first test with a big margin he was calm as ever amidst widespread criticism. He didn't go for overhaul of the side or a complete shift  strategically. Rather he kept backing the same group & their processes to emerge victorious.


Cummins led from the front throughout the series
Image credit: SirWellsy99, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons


At the same time he ensured that captaincy doesn't affect his performance as a player. Whenever he has taken the ball in hand he has given his 100% and produced some match winning spells. His player of the match performance in the Melbourne test match showed his value as a player with both bat & ball. He has been equally careful while managing bowlers' workload including his own. Tactically he has always been regarded as one of the best in modern day cricket. No surprise he was at his tactical best in a big series like this. A street smart captain eases half of the job for any team. Cummins' effectiveness as a leader in both white & red ball format as well as Bumrah's heroics as a captain definitely calls for more bowlers in leadership positions in international cricket.

That's all for now. Since plenty of cricketing action is lined up this year stay tuned for more at this space.


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