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Allan Border criticised Pat Cummins’ tactical approach in the Perth Test which allowed Virat Kohli to come back to form with his 30th Test Hundred.
Pat Cummins and Co were unable to figure out how to get the better of Virat Kohli in Perth. (Image: AP)
The legendary Australian captain, Allan Border was not too pleased with the Aussies’ bowling attack being unable to restrict Virat Kohli who bounced back to form with a fine century in Perth.
After 18 months, Kohli was able to end his century drought by scoring an unbeaten hundred which helped the visitors get a mammoth second-innings lead, proving to be too much for the home side.
“I was disappointed in the way we let Kohli roll on to a hundred without much resistance,” Border told SEN radio on Friday morning.
“We don’t want this guy full of confidence for the rest of the series,” he added.
Border was also critical of Pat Cummins’ tactics in the game which according to the veteran allowed Kohli to easily get off strike and not be under pressure. An opinion that was shared by another legendary batter, Matthew Hayden.
“They missed a few tricks with Virat Kohli in the early part of his innings. Nathan Lyon had a mid-on back, one on the off-side catching and a mid-wicket. I felt like it was so easy for him to get off strike,” Hayden had told Channel 7 after India’s win.
The legendary left-handed opening batter also called out Cummins and Co’s usage of the shorter deliveries coming in late into the game, proving to be an ineffective strategy.
“Jaiswal looked vulnerable against it. Maybe tiny things with Pat Cummins, the ability to think through these decisions. They were shell-shocked from the average batting performance (in the first innings) and as we see now, again, bombs are going,” he said.
As a result, Australia has gone one game down in the five-match series and will be expected to bounce back in the upcoming pink-ball Test in Adelaide.
India will receive a massive boost with Rohit Sharma returning to the side. In addition, Shubman Gill could also make a return after missing the first game due to a thumb injury.
With the return of these two big-name players, questions will be asked of how India’s batting order lines up. Rahul has been in good touch when opening the batting but with Rohit’s return, Rahul could be pushed down the order which might hinder his good form.
(with PTI Inputs)
