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India’s collapse against Australia on 2nd Test at Brisbane: Did the visitors really bat badly on Day 4?

Most players were on the receiving end of either excellent bowling or questionable umpiring decisions.

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MS Dhoni (above) got out on a duck, LBW to a slightly harsh decision © Getty Images
Skipper MS Dhoni (above) got out on a duck to a slightly harsh decision © Getty Images

The Indian top-order was slammed by fans and critics alike after suffering a steep collapse early on Day Four, going from 76 for one to 87 for five. However, Shiamak Unwalla feels that the batting was not quite as bad as the scorecard makes it seem.

If the middle-order of a scorecard from Nos. 4 to 8 reads one, 10, zero, zero, and 19, you know the batting side is in trouble. That was the case in India‘s second innings, as Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni, and Ravichandran Ashwin folded like a bad hand at poker one after the other.

However, the scorecard does not quite tell the full story in this case. While the batsmen are by no means blameless for the collapse, there were other forces at work. Here is an analysis of each of the 10 second-innings Indian wickets to fall.

Murali Vijay b Mitchell Starc 27(39), India 41 for 1: Vijay’s excellent first-innings 144 meant that he had gone past fifty in each of his five innings — including two in practice matches —on the tour till then. He was batting positively in the second innings as well and had taken on Mitchell Johnson with ease. However, he made a rare error in judgement and shouldered arms to a Mitchell Starc delivery that might have gone over the stumps in the first innings. The ball had been bouncing quite evenly till that point. Vijay cannot be faulted too much for this particular dismissal.

Virat Kohli b Mitchell Johnson 1(11), India 76 for 2: Kohli had looked markedly uncomfortable in the second innings, scratching around for 11 balls before playing one from Johnson back on to his stumps. The ball was not particularly imposing, and Kohli could well have avoided playing a shot. Although it should be noted that he did not expect to walk out off the first ball of the morning session and perhaps lacked mental preparedness, this dismissal was the batsman’s fault.

Ajinkya Rahane c Nathan Lyon b Mitchell Johnson 10(8), India 86 for 3: Ajinkya Rahane walked out looking positive and played a couple of good shots to get the runs flowing. However, his innings was cut short by an absolute snorter from Johnson; the ball reared up off a length and came at Rahane from an unnatural length. He could only fend the ball away to backward point, where Lyon took an easy catch. Rahane has been particularly unfortunate this series as three of his four dismissals have come off arguably the best balls of the innings while the fourth was a dodgy decision. Again, the batsman cannot be entirely blamed as the ball was an absolute peach.

Rohit Sharma c Brad Haddin b Mitchell Johnson 0(2), India 86 for 4: Rohit lasted only two balls, getting out caught behind for a duck. However, replays showed no noticeable edge, though there was a noise as the ball passed bat. Based on the reactions of both Shane Watson — fielding at slip — and Rohit himself, it seemed like the ball had not made contact with the bat. In this case, there is no conclusive evidence to suggest whether the dismissal was down to bad batting or an umpire’s error.

MS Dhoni LBW b Josh Hazlewood 0(2), India 87 for 5: Dhoni stepped out the second ball he faced and tried to work the ball away on the leg side. He missed the ball completely and was adjudged LBW. However, this was another contentious dismissal as the ball struck Dhoni fairly high on his pad. There was a chance that the ball could have gone on to miss the stumps, though Hawk Eye backed up the umpire’s call. Dhoni could be forgiven for trying something new though, as he might have been trying to upset the bowler’s rhythm.

Ravichandran Ashwin c Brad Haddin b Mitchell Starc 19(29), India 117 for 6: Ashwin batted well, looking quite assured in the middle and providing India a faint glimmer of hope. However, his innings was cut short by the most clear-cut umpiring error of the match; he was given out caught behind, but replays clearly showed the ball went off his thigh pad. This dismissal could have made a huge impact, because Ashwin was looking good and could well have added another 30-odd runs which might have proven decisive given Australia’s late collapse.

Ravi Ashwin was misjudged caught behind as hotspot reveals he had not nicked it. Photo courtesy Screen-grab from StarSports.com
Ravi Ashwin was misjudged caught behind as hotspot reveals he had not nicked it. Photo courtesy Screen-grab from StarSports.com

Cheteshwar Pujara c Nathan Lyon b Josh Hazlewood 43(93), India 143 for 7: Pujara was looking rock-solid and was leaving the ball well before he received a ball as lethal as the one Rahane had got; it bounced off just short of good length and took the shoulder of the bat through to Lyon. It was another case of the ball playing tricks off the pitch.

Shikhar Dhawan LBW b Nathan Lyon 81(145), India 203 for 8: Dhawan batted with the abandon reminiscent of his debut 187 against Australia in 2013. He played perhaps the best innings of the latter half of the match and helped India take the lead past 100. He fell to an ill-advised sweep shot, and his dismissal was his own fault; but he perished as he played, going for his shots in a rather unorthodox fashion. It was how he had scored those 81 in the first place.

Varun Aaron c Josh Hazlewood b Nathan Lyon 3(9), India 211 for 9: Aaron never looked like he was going to score runs, and perhaps inspired by Umesh Yadav’s delightful slogging, decided to have a few heaves of his own. They did not come off, and he holed out.

Umesh Yadav c Brad Haddin b Mitchell Johnson 30(42), India 224 all out: Umesh, much like Mohammed Shami in the last game, played a typical tail-ender’s innings. He swatted, swiped, and slogged his way to 30 — his highest Test score — before edging an extravagant drive off Johnson to the ‘keeper. He played and died by the sword, and was dismissed going for the type of shot that had helped him outscore Kohli, Rahane, Rohit, and Dhoni combined.

In conclusion, while a few of the batsmen displayed some questionable shot selection, by and large the players were on the receiving end of either excellent bowling or questionable umpiring decisions. One must remember that Australia were reduced to 130 for six chasing 128. It was not a case of meek surrender by Indian batsmen as much as it was of great bowling by the Australians combined with some tough luck. The slamming the Indians have been subjected to is perhaps a bit harsh.

(Shiamak Unwalla, a reporter with CricketCountry, is a self-confessed Sci-Fi geek and cricket fanatic. You can follow him on Twitter @ShiamakUnwalla)

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