Australia’s wretched run on the tour of India so far has been crammed with “major, major mistakes”, reckons former captain Michael Clarke.
Clarke feels the most important mistake Australia made was not enjoying a tour recreation forward of the 4 Test sequence that started February 9.
Instead, Pat Cummins selected to simulate Indian circumstances again residence earlier than having a brief camp close to Bengaluru forward of the sequence opener in Nagpur.
Two weeks later, the guests are 0-2 down within the sequence and have already misplaced a shot at regaining the Border-Gavaskar trophy.
“I’m not surprised by what I’m seeing because we didn’t have a tour game. Major, major, major mistake. There should have been at least one game over there to get used to the conditions,” Clarke stated on Monday on Big Sports Breakfast.
The Australian batters’ incapacity to play top-quality spin has been completely expose within the first two Tests.
In Delhi, they tried to brush their method out of bother however that ploy failed miserably. Apart from that, one other major mistake, in response to Clarke, was not enjoying Travis Head within the sequence opener.
The southpaw top-scored for Australia within the second innings with a 43 off 46 balls earlier than his crew collapsed to 113 all out. It was additionally the primary time he opened in Tests.
“Selection for the first Test, major, major mistake. Second Test, blokes sweeping, we saw enough of that the first Test match. They’re not the right conditions to sweep when you start your innings. And they’re never going to be the right conditions to reverse sweep against the spin at the start of your innings,” stated Clarke.
Half of the facet fell to brush or reverse sweep on a monitor with low bounce.
“It doesn’t matter how many support staff there are around, you’re playing for Australia. Surely as a batsman playing at the highest level, you calculate that risk versus reward.
“Against spin bowling on a pitch like that, you’d say my ‘swim between the flags’ is play straight, hit with spin.
“Let’s just stick to those two theories. Straight bat … I’m going to be playing every single ball with the spin,” stated Clarke.
He additionally added that Australia ought to have discovered from India on how one can bat in spin-friendly circumstances.
“It’s like we’re not watching India bat,” he stated. “Why would you not look at that example and go, ‘OK, these guys know the conditions so well, and this is how they’re playing’. Why would we try and do something different when they have been so good? “The recreation was there for us to win if we make 200… and we have been 1-60,” he said referring to the dramatic batting collapse with Australia losing nine wickets for 52 runs.
India needed to chase down 115 and they did that with six wickets in hand. Clarke also questioned Pat Cummins’ field placements on Sunday.
“I’m unsure what occurred with our ways. We had simply 100 runs on the board.
“At one stage, Patty Cummins had four blokes on the boundary. There’s 2½ days left in the Test match. You’re either bowling India out for under a hundred or you’re losing: one or the other.
“If you lose in 20 overs, otherwise you lose in two days, it is irrelevant. So fielders stand up, bat-pad off facet, bat-pad leg facet. If the ball turns, if the ball bounces, if the ball shoots alongside the bottom, in the event you make an error in judgment, you’re getting out.
“That’s what Australia had to do with the ball. I know it’s only a tiny run lead, but we had to still try and win the game, and we had mid-off back, mid-on back, deep point, deep square leg. What was I watching?”.