Ashwin, who has been bowling as well as ever away from home, was allowed to be uninhibited on what turned out to be an immensely successful Day at MCG © Getty
“Ab soch mat, ab sirf khel (Stop thinking, just play.) “Ravi Shastri’s words echoed and reverberated, as they often do, in MCG’s networking practice area on Thursday (December 24) afternoon. He came in the middle of a session Very intense netting two days after the Boxing Day test. It was to be India’s last practice before the second game of the series. It was for starter Mayank Agarwal, who by then had been incessantly worrying and mentalizing about his technique.
The head coach, while very involved in helping the right-hander, had seen enough. Somehow, Agarwal’s eager energy was indicative of the cynical nature that India had given up on for 36 in Adelaide. While the comment was directed aloud to Agarwal, the message was for every member of the Indian team present. The coach had declared that his team had no choice but to be now uninhibited or as he himself put it. “bindaas khelo yaar (do not be afraid)”.
Ironically, all but Agarwal ended up following Shastri’s dictate to be bindaas during what turned out to be one of India’s most dominant performances on the opening day of a test outside the subcontinent. I could see and feel it in various aspects of the visitor’s approach on Saturday (December 26). Of course, it grew out of Ajinkya Rahane’s captaincy, starting with their move to throw the ball to R Ashwin early, before hitting the fields that India set up, the way they repeatedly captured the moment, and the way they cleaned the ball. tail. . Not forgetting two of the most fearless and bindaasEvidence debuts we’ve seen in Indian cricket for a while.
Exactly a week ago, they were capitulating to the lowest lows in their history. But here they were not only getting back on their feet, they were actually riding high. And doing that in one day and in a place, where Australia has generally been the one to create heroes, told you a lot about the character of this Indian team. It also put into perspective the chaos of Adelaide, where, as Rahane put it, the test was lost in a “bad hour.”
Nothing summed up the attitude of the visitors at MCG than the fact that they were able to pass over the Australians after losing the draw and being sent to the field. That too on what looked like a batting day, both in terms of the field and conditions.
Although Jasprit Bumrah drew blood early with the expulsion of Joe Burns, the first sign of India’s decision to release came in the 11th, when Ashwin had the ball in hand. There was still some additional moisture left on the surface, where curator Matt Page had left 11mm of grass. Yet you wonder how many Indian captains would have kicked their main roulette wheel so early in the morning of a test at MCG.
Of course, Ashwin wasted no time making an impact, beating out Matthew Wade and Steve Smith in another display of spin mastery. It was a sign that they were no longer worrying about what could go wrong, but were supporting each other to get a positive outcome regardless of the odds.
This is where Rahane’s leadership style shone as he let Ashwin not only set his own fields, but also control the momentum of the game. It meant that the 34-year-old, who has been bowling as well as ever away from home, was allowed to be uninhibited.
Interestingly, in your case, that implies being allowed to keep thinking and strategizing, even if they can seem a bit outlandish at times. His Smith setup is something he’s been working on throughout this series, and it executed flawlessly with just the right amount of oversteer.
Ashwin was also allowed to persist with the field formations he had in place, even if that meant having only two men facing the square on the opposite side, despite Marnus Labuschagne’s persistence in making room and trying to force roulette through that space. . Or have the leg-ravine a few inches to the right of Tim Paine’s traditional short back leg. You could feel that the freedom to be himself had given him a boost in his wake. To the point, at one point, he convinced Rahane to give him a bonus even after the captain got Umesh Yadav to relax and remove his cap.
Bumrah generally doesn’t need any additional motivation to be himself undeterred. Most of the time he is so self-motivated that he can sometimes be your harshest critic himself. But in the absence of Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma, he had an additional role to play on Saturday.
With Rahane choosing not to move from his position in the ravine, it was India’s leading pacemaker who was accused of being wise advice to his colleagues. It could help them get their fielders in the right positions, brainstorm tactics, or just put an arm around their shoulders at times. Clearly the Indians came to the MCG with very specific plans for the Australians and executed them cerebrally. But it was also one of those days when bowlers were often seen captaining themselves, responsibility was shared between Bumrah, Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.
Bumrah was quite sensational with the ball in hand. He revealed absolutely nothing with the new ball, and came close to taking a wicket on a few occasions. And then after the lunch break, when Labuschagne and Travis Head threatened to bring Australia back, it was Bumrah who made the breakthrough, seemingly out of nowhere, but actually on the basis of a very well game plan. designed for the left-handed.
It meant that around the same time as they lost control of that match in Adelaide last Saturday, India regained full control of it in Melbourne.
Siraj’s first test cricket morning was a bit strange. Here she was chosen as the third closer for a game at MCG. And he spent the entire first session watching everyone else bowling, including the two spinners.
However, Rahane made it a point to take him aside for a chat during the first drinking break, almost to further calm her rookie’s nerves. It would have been totally understandable that the fact that a bowl hadn’t affected Siraj’s confidence even in the least. But the way he ran in the first hour of the second session told you he was just hungrier.
Courage, though not genuinely quick, rushed the Australian hitters with his deception, even hitting Labuschagne in the helmet. His ability to hit the seam and be consistent meant Rahane had the freedom to keep attacking from his end, which worked when Siraj knocked out two massive mid-order wickets in his 9 plus spell, which sent Australia deeper into the mud. . It was a maiden performance that was blatantly filled with an ecstatic free spirit to finally get her chance at this highest level. It showed in the way he too nonchalantly clung to his two captures.
The impetus and constant positive reinforcement came of course from the new captain. Having been stereotyped throughout his career as a cricketer who is always inhibited by his own alleged insecurities, this Boxing Day was about Rahane breaking free and showing what he’s really made of.
He never stepped back as the hungry pack leader who had smelled blood and then went for the kill when the Australian tail appeared, never letting them wag and be a nuisance as has been the case so often in the past. From letting Siraj lead the team after the tea break and also being repeatedly by his players’ side when they occasionally didn’t get it right, Rahane was also there for his players when and where it mattered without dominating the frame for too long. long.
Despite the impressive performance on the ball, no one showed India’s limitless approach to MCG better than Shubman Gill. He started out by surviving one of the most challenging 9-ball spells we’ve seen that a rookie must endure early in his career and a fallen catch and then show off a dazzling array of ground hits.
They included some delicious drives and a well controlled firing shot from Mitchell Starc. However, it was the way he handled Nathan Lyon on his first over that really stood out, especially when he jumped the third ball and shoved the world-class offie through the ground for four. Lyon was so taken aback that he continued to stare at Gill, even as he walked back to his goal, with a mixture of amazement and disbelief.
It was a look that summed up Australia’s collective anguish of how a team that had been knocked to the ground a week ago had managed to not only shake off the submission hold, but also rally to knock out their opponents, all while putting up a showcase of plus bindaas cricket, you have seen an Indian team play away.
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