Between them, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravinchandran Ashwin and Kuldeep Yadav took six Australian wickets while conceding barely three runs an over. Australia\u2019s vaunted middle order took them for a total of only six boundaries. Jadeja and Australia\u2019s Steve Smith said separately that it felt like Test cricket. That suited India fine.<\/p>\n
Finch said the conditions favoured the Indians, but so did the mindset of the batsmen. \u201cYou can\u2019t allow Jadeja, Kuldeep and Ashwin to bowl how they want to bowl on a surface like that,\u201d said Finch, who is in India as a commentator and writes a column for the ICC. \u201cThey\u2019re so accurate and so highly skilled \u2013 Jadeja has done it to Australia so many times now.<\/p>\n
\u201cPart of it comes down to how India bowled spin, but we also need to look at the way that Australia batted. There was a clear plan among the group to be proactive, to try to limit dot balls and rotate strike against what they knew would be a world-class group of spinners.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was a bit of a lack of aggression from the Australian batters. I think they\u2019ll be disappointed by the intent they showed and the fact that they weren\u2019t able to put any pressure back on India.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt needs a mindset shift, to look to be on the front foot a little more and take some calculated risks.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Ravindra Jadeja after dismissing Alex Carey.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty<\/cite><\/p>\n When dew fell in the evening, neither of Australia\u2019s spinners, Adam Zampa and Glenn Maxwell, were able to exercise anything like the same hold on the Indian batsmen. After an early scare when they lost their first three batsmen for ducks, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul shepherded the home team to a comfortable victory.<\/p>\n Finch said the conditions played a part. Neither side had expected such a thick dewfall. \u201cI spoke to (Indian coach) Rahul Dravid before the game, and he didn\u2019t expect there to be any dew,\u201d Finch said.<\/p>\n Marcus Stoinis could come in to the Australian team to bolster the batting depth.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty Images<\/cite><\/p>\n \u201cHe was really surprised when it came down and said that India would have batted first as well.<\/p>\n \u201c(But) in the end, it came down to one thing \u2013 India\u2019s spinners out-bowled Australia\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n Finch\u2019s observation underscores two sensitive questions facing Australia as they attempt to gather themselves for Thursday\u2019s clash with South Africa in Lucknow. One is whether it was a mistake to include only one frontline spinner in the squad. That\u2019s Zampa and he is struggling for form. But there is not much Australia can do about it other than cross their spinning fingers.<\/p>\n The other is whether Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne, for all their accomplishments in Test cricket, can force the pace when needed in the 50-over game. The same question could be asked of Cameron Green. Australia might be able to afford one batsman who moves through the gears slowly and methodically, but not three. That probably means that if Marcus Stoinis is fit for Thursday\u2019s match, he will replace either Green or Labuschagne.<\/p>\n The bright side for Australia is that is this is a tournament, so losing one match is not as disastrous as in a bilateral series. Moreover, Australia won\u2019t have to play India again until the finals if both make it.<\/p>\n The downside is that they\u2019re still playing in<\/em> India. For typically byzantine Indian political reasons, they\u2019re now camped in Lucknow, a venue that previously has staged only one Test match, between the West Indies and Afghanistan, and just four one-day internationals.<\/p>\n In those four matches, no team has made more than 250.<\/p>\n \u201cLucknow is notorious for being extremely<\/em> low, slow and spin-friendly,\u201d said a Wisden<\/em> guide to World Cup venues, \u201cbut the square also contains some flat pitches that saw huge scores in the IPL.<\/p>\n \u201cSeamers who are good at taking pace off will love to bowl at this venue. This is expected to be one of the toughest venues for batting at this World Cup.\u201d<\/p>\n News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Monday. <\/i><\/b>Sign up for our Sport newsletter<\/i><\/b>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n Source: Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n
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