Australia advanced in the Boxing Day Test with a fine batting display by their pacers. It was a great performance from the likes Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyonand Scott Boland, who formed a vital partnership to save his team from a difficult situation.
However, Australia seemed to miss an opportunity to put India under pressure by declaring their innings with a couple of overs on day four. Former cricketers Ravi Shastri and Michael Vaughan They shared their thoughts on Pat Cummins’ decision.
While Ravi Shastri predicted the reason for Australia’s failure to declare, Vaughan believes the Indians could have been put under pressure in the final minutes of the day if they had come out with the ball.
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Ravi Shastri explains why Pat Cummins didn’t come forward
Speaking on Fox Sports, Ravi Shastri claimed that India will be happy not to bat in the last few innings as it is a tough period to face after a long day on the field.
“They’ll be happy they didn’t bat tonight. If you’re on the field for the last 20 minutes or all day to play three or four games, it’s a different ball game. When I come back tomorrow, it’s a completely different atmosphere,” said the former India coach.
Ravi Shastri also believes that Australia are aware of India’s young batsmen who are capable of chasing down any target on their day and thus Pat Cummins wanted to give them as many runs to run as possible.
“You’re fresher and you know if you’re losing that day, you can either get the score or save the game. It also shows that Australia are a bit cautious against India. They’ve dropped scores in the past and if they get in, that could make all the difference. they took hits,” added Ravi Shastri.
India has chased big targets in the past too. One of the most famous run chases took place at the Gabba during India’s Test series They last toured Australia for the Sarhad-Gavaskar Trophy.
“You just have to look at the psychology” – Michael Vaughan
But Michael Vaughan had other ideas. He believes that India could have been put under a lot of pressure if they had batted in this tough situation. Vaughan claimed that India captain Rohit Sharma was in a bad shape and Yashasvi Jaiswal dropped three catches on the day which was enough to put them under more pressure.
“You just have to look at the psychology; Rohit Sharma (would be the first under a lot of pressure). Then there’s Jaiswal, who had a shocker in the field. I think both of those players will be very happy to leave the MCG tonight and come back tomorrow,” explained Vaughan.
Yashasvi Jaiswal conceded three catches on the day, two of which were relatively simple chances. Dropped catches have already cost India and Jaiswal will look to make amends with the bat tomorrow.
Australia inches ahead on Day 4
Meanwhile, Australia look ahead in the game with their lead already at 333. Their last wicket pair will look to add as many runs as possible on the morning of day 5 and come out fresh and attack the Indian batsmen.
The last wicket pair of Nathan Lyon and Scott Boland have already added over fifty runs for the final wicket, leaving Australia in a good position. Skipper Pat Cummins also scored 41. On the other hand, India need to be out of their skin to get closer to the target.
