Aussies must stop blaming pitch, focus on technique instead
The more things change, the more they remain the same. That truism applies to all teams that come to play Tests in India. They change captains, bring new spinners, fly down domestic bowlers for invaluable net practice and prepare for months. Yet, by the time they start the series, it’s already an uneven contest. In this context, the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Nagpur was on expected lines. Australia may have won the toss, but in the end, India won everything since. They won mini duels, they won the big contests and they won each and every session. After seven sessions, they won the Test. At home, it was their 35th victory since the beginning of 2013. In that period, they have lost only two matches; one against Australia (2017) and one to England (2021).
To put it simply, India are almost invincible at home because they have an all-time great collection of pacers and spinners. Over five days, they are more likely to take 20 wickets when compared to the opponents. While the focus has always been on the two Ravis, Jadeja and Ashwin, people tend to forget how good Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav have been over the last decade or so. Add to that the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Axar Patel and this dominance is likely to continue.
It’s because all the above-mentioned bowlers know how to make the best use of the conditions on offer (at home). Allegations of pitch doctoring—sure, some Indian pitches have been extreme in the 10-year period in question—do exist but they don’t hold much water because India’s pacers have also been very effective. Sometimes, visiting teams get themselves so worked up over pitches that they lose half the battle even before the first ball. The first Test at Nagpur is a case in point. Australia’s batters looked at a few bald spots and decided it was akin to an adult cobra, especially for their left-handed batters.
Australia’s left-handed batters made 67 across two innings. Two of India’s left-handed spin all-rounders, Jadeja and Axar, both crossed that mark. It says a lot about how visiting teams lose the battle in the mind. With three more Tests (at Delhi, Indore and Ahmedabad) to play, Australia definitely will need more than just technique to claw back into the series. For India though, anything less than a thumping win will be considered a loss.