Australia is leaking its wounds after the men’s cricket team stumbled against India in the first test at Perth. They crumbled to a humiliating loss, a huge margin of just a little less than 300 runs, and it came about on day four of the test. Australian Media’s Reaction to the Ind vs Aus Test
The Australian media did not hold back. They have been brutal and harsh, and they dished that out to the Aussie cricket team this time. Australia which prided itself on being composite and clear thinking right through was put under trouble. They looked lost throughout, especially from the moment Jasprit Bumrah destroyed their top order on the first evening of the game.
That’s what I had termed to be the turning point of the match, to his searing spell off the blocks. A fitting response to 150. Herald Sun called it pathetic humiliation. Others termed it a reality check dealing with the Aussies with a monster loss such as this one. The Sydney Morning Herald lauded the Indian batters, particularly Yashaswi Jaiswal and Jasprit Bumrah, who have given the Aussie nightmares. Fox Sports, of course, said this was an ominous sign of things to come in this series.
Josh Hazlewood’s Controversial Statement
The remarks have been scathing, and what has not helped Australia is the comment that one of their players, their bowlers in fact, Josh Hazelwood, made at the end of day three of the test.
The match wasn’t over just then. It wasn’t concluded. It was still day three. Yes, they were staring at defeat, imminent defeat at that, chasing a massive target there. But those exactly were the words Hazelwood decided to make. A statement that has not been taken too kindly to, especially by former Aussie cricketer Adam Gilchrist, who responded, saying this looks like a rift in the Australian team dressing room.
“I wonder if there’s a divide in Andrew McDonald’s team between the batters and bowlers,” Adam Gilly clearly saying that there could be something amiss, especially when a bowler comes and makes that kind of a statement pointing fingers at the batting that led them down.
Reactions from Michael Vaughan and Team Dynamics
Michael Vaugh, former England cricketer, isn’t one to also hold back when there is a raging debate that he can fan further publicly.
Two things stand out in that statement that Hazelwood made. One, of course, pointing almost seemingly fingers at the batters for having led them down in this test, and then saying, even before the test match concluded, that he was already thinking about the second test.
Jasprit Bumrah’s Leadership Stands Tall
Now, of course, Hazelwood may have made that statement and that kind of a statement out of some level of frustration, it’s understandable.
But I guess that’s what the difference was. Josh Hazelwood made a flippant remark there, saying these questions should have been addressed to the batters of his team and not him, whose role is just to bowl.
This is what Jasprit Bumrah, the captain who was leading India in for that test, ended up saying at the end of that test: “The message was we will be nice and disciplined, and we will make run-making as difficult as we can because that is what has worked in the past over here as well. When we can do that, that gives us a lot of success. So that was the message that was passed—be nice, be disciplined.”
Looking Ahead: Australia vs India
Inspired a youngster to take guard and take the attack to the AES and Yashaswi Jaiswal. Inspired a man under fire to finally shut his critics in Virat Kohli. That’s what a winning team looks like.
Now the Adelaide test is a while away, and guess what? Reports say Australia has continued, and will remain unchanged for the day and night tests, and for that second test, they are determined to make a comeback in the series with the personnel they had.
But one thing I can say with certainty: only one team has truly shown the spirit of the game to fight and play hard, and that’s not been Australia.