Former Australian skipper Mark Taylor has come out and praised Virat Kohli for the way he marshalled the Indian team in the first Test here, saying the young batsman knows how to play cricket Down Under.
The match ended in the hosts’ favour by 48 runs and gave them a 1-0 lead in the four-match series. Kohli was the stand-in skipper for the first Test, his first-time leading the Indian team in the longer format, even as Mahendra Singh Dhoni is expected to lead the side in the second Test in Brisbane starting December 17.
In becoming only the fourth Indian to score twin hundreds in a Test, the star batsman led from the front as he almost took the visitors to an improbable victory. “I remember speaking with him before the first day’s play (at Adelaide) and he knows what it is like to play in Australia,” Taylor, now a Channel Nine commentator, said after the Test.
“He knows you have to stand up for yourself and be prepared to compete in the middle. He has done that not just with his captaincy but also with his bat. I liked the fact that they went for the debutant Karn Sharma in the XI thinking that leg-spinners do well here.
“I liked the intent even though I think R Ashwin would have bowled better than he did. I think this will be a really good Test series. We have almost been waiting for a contest like this.
“In 2011, India lost 4-0 here and then Australia went to India in 2013 and lost 4-0. I don’t think that will be the case this time around on the evidence of this first Test,” he added.
Australia returned to top-level cricket with this match after the tragic death of Phillip Hughes. The first three days of the game saw some intense emotional moments. But as the match slowly progressed towards its climax and tensions rose, there were a couple altercations between the players of two sides.
The aggression displayed on the field was perhaps a sign that normalcy has returned to Australian cricket. “I think it was important not just for Australian players to play this match, but also for the Indian players because a few of them went to the funeral too.
“It was imperative that these players get on the park and pay tribute to Phil Hughes and his family, and start the healing process. They need to take their mind to cricket and now we can start to move on from those tragic events. It has been very good, an excellent Test match,” Taylor said.
“We did see a little bit of aggressive antics on the field but it hasn’t been that bad. Both sides are competitive and that showed,” he added. But the retired Australian cricketer also had a few words of wisdom for the future Indian captain.
“Virat has been good in the field but they only took 12 wickets in two innings. So that’s a concern for him, and the team management, that in neither innings Australia were bowled out. They declared twice.
“Even so, what I really liked was that he didn’t allow things to drift and continued to try out new things all the time. His future as Indian captain though will be decided how he can handle those combative moments.
“He is very competitive and there is nothing wrong with that. But at times as captain you have to be the mediator and negotiator. So that will be something he will have to work on as he goes on ahead in his career as the Indian captain,” he opined.
Talking of captains, Australian skipper Michael Clarke has been ruled out of the series with a right hamstring injury that he suffered on the final day of the Test. He went on to state that he feared for his playing days. It is a worrisome thought for Australian cricket ahead of the ODI World Cup.”I have thought for a number of years now that Michael Clarke is perhaps the best tactical captain in the world.
“It will indeed be a big loss that he is not playing in the series now. It also puts pressure on whoever takes over.” Brad Haddin is in line but if he has to bat keep wickets and lead the side at the same time. That’s a lot of pressure on him as a player.
“Clarke has been putting pressure on himself and he was very keen on playing in Brisbane because India is going to be a hard opposition. And Australia will want their best eleven on the pitch,” Taylor signed off.
‘Green-top’ Gabba awaits India
Brisbane: After a high-scoring first Test in Adelaide, which India lost by 48 runs to trail the five-match series, a green-top awaits the visitors at the Gabba, here starting December 17. After off-spinner Nathan lyon recorded a match-haul of 12-286, Gabba curator Kevin Mitchell now wants to give the home team’s pacers something to cheer about. “It’s a well-grassed wicket,” Mitchell was quoted as saying by the Australian newspaper ‘Herald Sun’. “We are aiming for a typical Gabba wicket — life, bounce and pace is always what we are trying to achieve. At this stage, we are tracking along well.”
Aussie media laud lyon
Sydney: Australian media on Sunday hailed off-spinner Nathan lyon for his match-winning performance in the first Adelaide Test against India and ranked his achievements alongside bowling great Shane Warne.
The 27-year-old claimed seven wickets in India’s second innings and 12 for the match to take the home side to a thrilling triumph after Australia had set the tourists 364 runs for victory on a rollercoaster final day on Saturday.
“Nathan lyon has produced the most emphatic spin bowling performance by an Australian since the retirement of the great Shane Warne,” wrote Sydney’s Daily Telegraph.
The Australian said lyon’s heroics were a “coming of age”, and praised him for overcoming the widely held concern that he has been unable to finish off matches when needed. “A lot of ink has been spilled on this subject and there was a lot being ordered for (Sunday’s) pages if things had not turned out as they did,” the newspaper said.
“lyon’s match figures of 12-286 off 70.1 overs were a perfect replica of a Giffen performance,” Melbourne’s The Age wrote.
Clarke will be back: lehmann
Adelaide: An injury-ravaged Michael Clarke may have raised doubts about his future by stating that he may never play again, but Australian cricket coach Darren lehmann is confident that the inspirational skipper will be back sooner or later.
“I think he will be back. You have your fingers crossed, we will wait and see,” lehmann told reporters before heading for Brisbane for the second Test against India starting December 17.
Clarke had created quite a flutter on Sunday by saying that his cricketing future has been thrown into jeopardy due to nagging back and hamstring injuries because of which he had limp off the field on the final day of the opening Test against India.
The 33-year-old is already out of the ongoing Test series against the Indians and lehmann refused to discuss on the possibility of his return for the ODI World Cup scheduled in February-March here and in New Zealand.
“He (Clarke) knows he needs to be fully fit for one-day cricket. He was magnificent in this (first) Test and he’s been magnificent the last few weeks. But he needs to get it (his fitness) right — we know that, he knows that. One-day cricket is an explosive game and we need guys fully fit all the time,” lehmann said.
Pup backs Haddin for captaincy
Adelaide: Injured skipper Michael Clarke has backed Brad Haddin as Australia cricket captain for the remainder of the Test series against India saying he is confident that the wicket-keeper batsman will get all the support from the team to do a “wonderful” job.
Clarke was effusive in his praise for Haddin, who had captained Australia to a 48-run victory after the regular skipper was forced out of the field in the 44th over on Saturday owing to a right hamstring injury. With Clarke ruled out of the remaining of the Test series due to his injury, Haddin is expected to captain the side in Brisbane for the second Test starting Wednesday. “Hadds did a fantastic job,” Clarke said.
“He has got a lot of other senior players around him which I’m sure would have helped him, they certainly help me when I’m out there. “And I have got all the faith in the world that things won’t change in the next three Tests matches with Brad in charge, if he is the captain. “I’m very confident he will do a wonderful job and he has got a lot of support,” Clarke was quoted as saying by Australian media.