Did India not know that the red Kookaburra doesn’t do much between overs 35 and 80? Did they not know that Jasprit Bumrah would get tired after a fantastic first spell? Did they not know that the Australians would counter-punch after lunch with Travis Head out there? Did they not know that they needed control to be able to come back with the second new ball?
To not know is silly. For Morne Morkel, the bowling coach, to come and say time and again that India is “leaking runs” sounds a lame excuse. It is Test cricket, and instructions can be sent. Suggestions can be given. You could set 7-2 fields and batters pushed to play on one side of the wicket. Something ought to have been done, but nothing was.
You have to feel for Bumrah. He gave it his all only to see the other bowlers gifting runs to Australia. To see balls being sprayed and nothing being done by the skipper or the team management to stem the rot. It was poor from India. Rank poor. With a high-intensity first session where they snapped up three wickets for 76, you expected Rohit Sharma to know what to do in sessions two and three. The truth is, there wasn’t a plan. And if there was, it wasn’t executed.
There was no plan B for Steve Smith and Head once the ball got older. They just nailed the second session – 130 runs in just 27 overs – to put the game beyond India. This is where you are forced to ask if adequate planning was done? Or is it just about the brilliance of Bumrah, and leaving it to him to bail the team out time and again? Yes, Akash Deep was unlucky, but what about the others?
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Nitish Reddy isn’t ready as the fourth seamer. His batting has been excellent but the bowling is not of international standard. Ravindra Jadeja leaking runs both sides of the wicket was a huge surprise, and that’s where India lost control. Each time Bumrah finished a spell, Australia knew that freebies would soon be on offer, and made merry.
Even Akash must be thinking it was a major opportunity lost. He bowled one fantastic ball every over and then followed it up with two loose deliveries that conceded runs. That’s where the pressure was released and the game lost. Mohammed Siraj too was below par on what was a forgettable day.
The weather prediction is for lots of rain on days three, four and five. Clearly, there will be disruptions. Head and Smith have shown that how you can score runs in plenty against the older ball, and that’s what India should take heart from. They need to see off the new ball. The batting, for a change, has to step up and take control. Each one of the top seven must make a difference, for you don’t want to trail 1-2 going to Melbourne.
In all honesty, Australia hold the aces but not everything is lost for India. With the inclement weather and good batting, the match can be salvaged. But to do so, you need fight. Real effort with a deep determination to not let it get away. The bowlers, barring Bumrah, failed to show the resolve. Add the management to this list. Can the batters buck the trend and salvage Brisbane? That, and the weather, will be the cynosure of all attention on day three.