Following India’s incredible turnaround in Test 2 in Melbourne after the Adelaide debacle, Tendulkar spoke to PTI about Australian hitting Ajinkya rahanecaptaincy, the performance of debutants Mohammed Siraj and Shubman gill.
“When I look at this Australian batting lineup and I look at some of the previous lineups, I feel like the previous lineups were the ones that were established. Those players hit with a different kind of intent, but this team doesn’t seem very settled.” Tendulkar said. .
In three full Australian innings in the first two trials, Indian bowlers split them for 191, 195 and 200 respectively, something that was unknown in the days of Allan Border, Mark Taylor, the Waugh brothers. Or during the time of Ricky Ponting, Matthew Hayden, Damien Martyn, Adam Gilchrist and even Michael Clarke
“In this current Australian team, there are players who are not in good shape and not sure where they are. On previous teams, those hitters hit in their places as there was a lot of security in their batting lineup,” Tendulkar said. .
One of the highlights of the series so far has been Ravichandran Ashwin’s duels with Steve Smith and Tendulkar, which explained why the veteran off-spinner enjoyed an advantage.
“In the first test, Smith got an arm ball or you can call it a fastball that Ashwin throws differently. A spinning wheel pulls a fastball that slides off the surface when the fingers are not on top of the ball.”
Tendulkar then explained how Ashwin gets the ball to spin and bounce.
“In the second test, it was not a slider, but the fingers were on the ball, which produced bounces and spins.
“Steve Smith played a normal move to a regulation offside that any batter instinctively does and the fielder was brilliantly positioned there.
“It was a well-planned ball and wicket by Ashwin. They are both class players, so someone’s going to have a better day and so far, Ashwin has come out the winner in the first two tests.”
Tendulkar was a lot of praise for Rahane’s captaincy, as well as his change of one hundred on a day when hitting was difficult in cloudy conditions.
“I felt it was a brilliant performance from our team, the way our team was able to play and the way Ajinkya led the team. Also, if you look at the high-level cricketers and their contribution, it has been good.” said.
For someone who has always disapproved of any kind of comparisons, Tendulkar did not want to compare the leadership styles of Rahane and virat Kohli.
“People shouldn’t make comparisons to Virat. Ajinkya has a different personality. His intention was aggressive.
“I would like to remind everyone that they are both Indians and they both play for India, so no individual comes above India. The team and the country are above all,” he said.
Rahane’s hit of 112, according to Tendulkar, was a perfect combination of caution and aggression.
“I thought Ajinkya hit brilliantly. He was calm, relaxed and collected. He had aggressive intent, but aggression was correctly balanced by calm and confidence.
“So he didn’t miss opportunities when there was a limit ball. And when you had to be patient, he was patient. The intention was very good.”
He did not forget to mention the spearhead of Jasprit Bumrah’s contribution in the victory.
“In the fast bowling department, Bumrah, as the leader of the attack, has taken more responsibility and every time things go wrong, he has tried harder. That is the sign of a champion bowling,” he said.
The maestro also praised Gill, who played two impressive innings of 45 and 35, and Siraj, who chose five wickets on his debut.
“Shubman looked confident and comfortable. He played good shots on short pitches that the Australians threw. Someone up front that comes out and scores 45 and 35, so it’s probably a good start,” Tendulkar said of the 21-year-old.
He was generous in his praise for Siraj.
“Let’s also not forget how Siraj has also bowled. I didn’t think he was playing his first test match,” said the man, who has played 200 tests.
“The way he did his first pitch and then gradually built it up, but it never seemed like he was playing his first game. The plans were well thought out. He executed it well. Both rookies felt comfortable in executing their plans.”
One of the main reasons for India’s victory, according to Tendulkar, was the presence of three multidimensional cricketers in the middle and lower-middle order.
“Jadeja hit well and it worked. We keep talking about five bowlers, but having Rishabh pants in the N. 6, Jadeja at no. 7 and Ashwin as No. 8 with four hundreds also help.
“That partnership between Jadeja and Ajinkya was crucial. They added invaluable runs and that put them under pressure. The runs that Pant was able to score were also crucial,” he concluded.
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