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Former Australia pacer Mitchell Johnson believes that India applied the ‘two vs 11’ formula to intimidate the young players but it didn’t favour them.
Jasprit Bumrah and Sam Konstas were seen having a verbal exchange at the final minutes of the first day’s play. (Image: AP)
The recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy witnessed some fiery moments on the field, especially in the last couple of Test matches. Young batter Sam Konstas made his international debut in Melbourne and had an altercation with India star Virat Kohli as the episode became a massive talking point. Later in Sydney, the 19-year-old was seen arguing with Jasprit Bumrah right before the Indian stand-in captain dismissed Usman Khawaja with a stunning delivery.
India tried playing mind games with the Aussies but nothing went their way as the travellers lost the final Test by 6 wickets, and also the coveted trophy after 10 years. Former Australia pacer Mitchell Johnson believes that India applied the ‘two vs 11’ formula to intimidate the young players but it didn’t favour them.
“The Indian side appeared to embrace the mindset that it was “two against 11″ out in the middle, aiming to make the Aussie batters feel isolated and under pressure. The focus was on not just testing the technical skills of their opponents but also challenging their mental toughness,” wrote Johnson in his column for The Nightly on Monday.
“In Test cricket, it’s crucial to create that environment, one where the batters are distracted from their primary objective. This psychological edge can often prove to be just as important as any physical skill in the game. Trying to intimidate the Aussie rookies didn’t really pay off with both Konstas and Beau Webster proving their worth,” he added.
The former left-arm pacer highlighted the incident that involved Konstas and Bumrah at the brink of stumps on the opening day of the Sydney Test. Johnson reckoned the young batter taking on Bumrah in a verbal volley was not a praiseworthy act.
“I appreciate what Konstas was trying to do by supporting his teammate, but it was simply the wrong time for that kind of engagement. At that late stage of the day, there could only be one winner.
“I wonder if Khawaja had a chat with Konstas or if any of the other senior players offered him some advice after the day’s play on how to navigate such situations. This highlights a crucial aspect of introducing new players to the team: they need the guidance of experienced teammates to understand how to handle various scenarios within the game’s dynamics,” Johnson added.
