It’s been a while, my friend. It’s been a while since we have seen the Indian team collapse in such an abject manner. It kind of took us back to the days when these collapses were not that rare. But honestly, did we want to go back? This wasn’t the kind of nostalgia a cricket fan craves for… this just wasn’t it.
As the dust settled on a crazy day of Test cricket, there was one thought that seemed to play in an eternal loop: Was this a seven-wickets-for-11-runs pitch?
That question resonated even louder after Australia put on 143/4, building up to a lead of 298, at close of play on day two. It was the same pitch where India had inexplicably collapsed from 94/3 to 105 all out – their worst ever collapse in Test cricket. Barring Lokesh Rahul (64) and, to a lesser extent, Murali Vijay and Ajinkya Rahane, no one wanted to hang around in the middle. It was only made worse by a complete abdication of responsibility.
One may argue that no pitch is a 7/11 pitch (except maybe the one in Mumbai 2004) but then what really went wrong for India…
Careless streak
No one is saying that this is an easy pitch to bat on. No one is even saying that this is a good pitch. That was apparent within a few balls being bowled on day one itself. But both teams have to bat on the same wicket, and while Australia applied themselves, India displayed a careless streak that should have alarmed coach Anil Kumble.
In the lead-up to the Test, Kumble and skipper Virat Kohli mentioned multiple times that they were not going to be complacent, that they were going to prepare for this Australian team in the same way that they prepared for New Zealand, England and Bangladesh, that their winning streak at home mattered little.
But India’s performance in the first innings revealed that mentally they had not made the adjustment. There were suggestions that India had not really been tested by the ‘soft’ bowling attacks of England and Bangladesh and perhaps there was some truth to them. Australia came at them hard and India just collapsed.
There was another angle to it, though.
The other problem was that with a dry, crumbly pitch, so much depends on the toss. If you call right, you immediately have a huge advantage. And Smith did that. It also seemed like India had made up their mind about the wicket – they were batting on a minefield (not trying to take anything away from Steve O’Keefe’s 6/35 here) and they had no option but to play aggressive cricket.
Murali Vijay got caught in the channel. Cheteshwar Pujara got a snorter. Kohli chased a wide one. Rahul threw it away after getting set. Spectacular catching sent back Ajinkya Rahane. And it all happened far too quickly.
By the time the top order was back in the hut, the ‘bad pitch’ idea had been reinforced in the minds of the lower order. There is no need to elaborate that in a low-scoring match, any run scored by the lower order is worth its weight in gold. And today, Kohli needed them to keep his side in the game. Instead, he got a collapse.
Captain’s knock
Then again, as the Aussies later showed the pitch wasn’t that bad. To get an idea of how to bat on this pitch, take a close look at Steve Smith’s wagon wheel – the Australia skipper has reached 59 not out at the end of day (thanks to three dropped catches). He has 25 singles, three twos and seven fours. He was more than happy to use his feet to the spinners, disturbing their line and length and rotated the strike regularly. There was certain decisiveness to the way he used his feet and he wasn’t afraid to play shots, but usually tried to play with the spin.
There may be something there for Kohli and Co to pick up and they should. But it is clear that India are up against it now – Australia have a lead of 298 and, but for another record collapse, are going to extend it beyond India’s reach on day three.
The question now will be how to approach the second innings. This innings, let’s be clear, is done. India need to forget it, dismiss it as a one-off and focus on the job at hand. Just defence alone won’t do the trick on this wicket and that is where things will get tricky. This will now be a battle of belief, in their system and in themselves.
Australia will close in for the kill, there will be chatter, there will be turn, there will be bounce. Indeed, India’s response to all of that might very well set the tone for the rest of the series.