The Indian team is currently scheduled to travel to Australia for a five-match Test series, set to begin November 22. This Test assignment will be important for India as they will aim to secure their spot in the World Test Championship finals.

Ian Chappell stated that the form of Rohit and Kohli is going to be a major form of concern, since they have been spotted having a steep decline in their batting.

“India have got some batting problems. I think Jaiswal is a very good-looking young player, a left-hand opener, I think Gill can really play. But then you’ve got Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who are both ageing, and you get to that point where people start talking about it and maybe it starts to creep into your head a little bit (where you think), ‘Am I getting to that age where it starts to go downhill?’, and they’re both at that age,” he said.

“The only thing I’d say against that is they’re coming to Australia where the pitches are pretty good, but there’ll be the extra bounce and if they have gone over the top then the extra bounce will find them out,” he added.

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1. Zakir Hasan (Bangladesh) – 24 balls

The Bangladesh left-handed opener got dismissed for a duck after facing 24 balls against India in Kanpur. Zakir never really got going and the Indian bowlers put him under a lot of pressure which finally paid off.

2. Ian Chappell (Australia) – 22 balls

The legendary Australian batter wasn’t able to open his account even after facing 21 deliveries against India during a Test match in 1968. Unfortunately for Chappell, he would get dismissed on his 22nd delivery.

3. Steve Waugh (Australia) – 21 balls

The Australian captain struggled against the Indian bowlers during the Sydney Test in 1986 and ultimately succumbed to them after not being able to score a run for 21 deliveries.

4. Shaun Marsh (Australia) – 21 balls

The Australian left-handed batter was dismissed by the Indian bowlers after not being able to trouble the scores for 21 deliveries. The Test match took place in Pune in 2017.

5. Cameron Green (Australia) – 21 balls

The Australian all-rounder failed to make any contribution to his team’s total against India in Sydney in 2021. Green got dismissed after facing 21 deliveries without scoring a single run.

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The two-match Test series will be followed y a three-match Test series at home against New Zealand. Then all the eyes will be on India’s Australian tour as the team is scheduled to take part in a five-match Tests.

India has already proved their credentials in test cricket as they have appeared in two consecutive finals of the World test Championship. In order to secure their place for the third time, India will need to give out a powerful outing in Australia.

Legendary Australian cricketer Ian Chappell has planned special roles for both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. He believes that both of them need to play the role of mentors for the young cricketers during the tour.

 “Of the young batters Yashasvi Jaiswal looks very talented but he needs to show good form in Australia. Both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli should act as guiding lights for the younger batters on tour,” he wrote in his column for ESPNCricinfo.

“The batting needs to be good in Australia as India showed with their series wins on the last two visits. Batting aside, it will help India’s chances enormously if both Pant and Bumrah are performing at their best in Australia,” he added.

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Chappell praised KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja’s comeback to the team and emphasized their bolstering influence. He was pleased when the selection committee decided to bench Iyer, who had gone eight Test innings without a half-century. Chappell’s comments underscore the importance of form and accuracy of selection in the high-stakes cricket arena.

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“India is a strong side and they also have a good leader in Rohit Sharma. They will be greatly strengthened by Ravindra Jadeja’s and KL Rahul’s recovery from injury, but that Virat Kohli will not return for the rest of the series is a blow. Hopefully the selectors will now stop overestimating Shreyas Iyer’s batting ability and learn to value Kuldeep Yadav’s wicket-taking capability more,” Chappell wrote in his column for ESPNcricinfo.

Ian Chappell felt that Ben Stokes, the captain of England, would greatly benefit the side by going back to bowling and slip fielding. After undergoing knee surgery, Stokes did not bowl at his medium speed during the two Test matches against India. Chappell stated that he hoped Stokes will participate fully in the opening batting phases.

“It will help England enormously if Stokes is once again able to function as an allrounder, as his bowling is a distinct weapon. It would also help if he fielded in the slips, especially to the spinners, as he is one of the best in that position. One personal area Stokes could look at is his own batting. If he were more proactive at the start of each innings, it would improve his play. Stokes is a very good batter but he’s at his best when he’s looking to score,” wrote Chappell.

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Former Australian cricketer was highly impressed by the ton from Khawaja and said the opener’s calmness throughout the four-match series has been nothing but exemplary. However, Chappell was equally unimpressed with the Indian bowling line-up and their tactics.

It was the hosts’ bowling attack that played the most dominant role in the series yet. However, they failed to perform on day 1 of the fourth test in a similar manner.

“One thing I can’t understand is India’s desire to come around the wicket the whole time to a left-hander. It just doesn’t make any sense to me. You speak to all the good left-handers that I’ve spoken to, and they say that right-arm over the wicket is the toughest guy to face. It’s okay every now and again for a bit of a change around the wicket,” Chappell told ESPNcricinfo.

“Maybe around the wicket works more in England. But in India, ridiculous, particularly to a player like Usman Khawaja, whose great strength is his onside, and we saw that today. Why would you angle the ball into his pads when that’s exactly what he wants? Khawaja looked at ease the whole time. India haven’t come up with a solution to Khawaja’s batting, and it’s really starting to hurt them,” Chappell added.

Australia at the end of stumps day 1 managed to put 255 runs on the scoreboard at the loss of four wickets. The Aussie opener Usman Khawaja is batting on 104 runs while getting company from Cameron Green who is on 49 not out.

The post It’s Really Starting To Hurt Them: Ian Chappell’s Jibe At Indian Bowlers Following Usman Khawaja’s Ton appeared first on Cricket Country.

Australia’s two key players, Pat Cummins, and David Warner returned to their nation prior to the Indore Test. However, Cameron Green joined the playing 11 and provided the visitors support with both bat and ball options alongside the star pacer Mitchell Starc. Chappell opened up on the matter and stated that he does not understand why Pandya is not a member of the Indian Test team. Since 2018, the all-rounder has not been in the Test setup.

“I don’t understand why Hardik Pandya isn’t in the Indian team. People keep telling me he can’t bowl this much. But again, are you listening to the medical people or having a chat with the cricket people? If Pandya wants to play, he should be in the Indian side. He’s a good batsman, he bowls decently, he is a damn good fielder,” Chappell told ESPNCricinfo.

“To find the right balance, Australia needed Cameron Green in there. And India needs Hardik Pandya,” he added.

During a press conference, Pandya was asked if he was considering returning to the red ball format of the game. At the time, the all-rounder sent a cryptic message stating that he wanted to start as a regular in the limited-overs format.

“Let me first fully be on Blues (ODIs and T20Is) and then I will see about the whites (Tests),” said Pandya.

The post Why Hardik Pandya Isn’t In Indian Test team: Ian Chappell Questions Star Allrounder’s Absence From Red Ball Cricket appeared first on Cricket Country.

Holkar Stadium, Indore’s pitch has become the centre point of critics due to the sharp turn and uneven bounce that the pitch has reflected.

Amid the ongoing debate, Former Australian Cricketer Ian Chappell has also commented bluntly on Indian players and the Indian Management for making an exceedingly turning pitch in the Indore Test.

Talking with ESPN Cricinfo, Chappell said, “India needs to see the error of their ways. I’ve talked before about trying to prepare pitches that suit India… Has India forgotten that they won the last two series in Australia? I go back to it again; what the hell are administrators, players, coaches, and anybody outside the curator (doing?). Why the hell are they having input for the pitch? It should be left to the curator to let him produce a pitch that he thinks is good. Let the players play on it,”

Chappell also spoke about the free rein of pitch curators to prepare pitches according to themselves. He also mentioned the significance of Rishabh Pant’s presence in the Indian team and how his absence is disturbing the team’s mindset.

“The Indians need to shut up and get on with the cricket. Really, have they forgotten how they won in Australia? With good at all-round cricket. Bear in mind one of the big differences is there’s no Rishabh Pant on this Indian side, and they’re now starting to see how important he is to them,” he added.

The 4th Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy will be played from 9 March at Ahmedabad.

The post I’ve no sympathy for India: Ian Chappell Blasts Team India After 9-Wicket Loss vs Australia In 3rd Test appeared first on Cricket Country.

“Sweeping regularly is not the answer to playing good spin bowling, and anyone who says so is talking through his hat. The odd player is very good at sweeping and should utilise the shot, but for the majority, there are better ways.”

“Any good spin bowler who makes the ball bounce is likely to expose the dangers in sweeping constantly. It should have been obvious in Australia’s build-up what kinds of batting strategies needed to be used in India. The most beneficial are to watch the ball closely, more so than in Australia, and that there is a fraction more time than you think.”

“Once a batter understands about the extra time on slightly slower Indian pitches, he can work the ball into a gap to collect precious runs. Those runs, especially early in an innings, when survival is treacherous, can frustrate even the best spinners,” wrote Chappell in his column for ESPNCricinfo on Sunday.

After losing the first Test by an inning and 132 runs in Nagpur inside three days, Australia lost the second Test to India by six wickets in New Delhi, which meant their chances of winning the Test series came to an end as India retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Now 2-0 behind, Australia will now face India in the third Test at Holkar Stadium in Indore, starting from March 1. Chappell also gave the example of Indian skipper and opener Rohit Sharma’s batting in the first two Tests of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy as something to learn for the Australian batters.

“A successful player needs to quickly work out how to survive the first ten minutes on a typical Indian pitch that encourages spin, and hope he enjoys a share of luck. If he plays sensibly like Rohit Sharma has admirably shown during the series, batting isn’t impossible on testing Indian pitches.”

Chappell signed off by saying Australia made errors with selection strategies on the tour of India. “Selectors can be fooled into thinking that playing spin bowling well in Australia automatically means success will follow on Indian pitches. That isn’t so but if the method in Australia is a sound one, selectors should assume it could lead to success in India.”

“Australia’s selection on this tour has been awfully inconsistent and at times irrational. Getting selection right makes for an air of calm, which, along with effectively putting a stop to dressing-room tantrums, can aid team spirit.”

“The Australian cricket team is very good at many venues around the cricket world but alarm bells should have rung long ago about the trip to India.”

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After losing the first Test by an innings and 132 runs in Nagpur inside three days, Australia lost the second match by six wickets in New Delhi, which meant their chances of winning the Test series came to an end as India retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Now 2-0 behind, Australia will face India in the third Test at the Holkar Stadium in Indore, starting from March 1.

“The mess they have got themselves in isn’t surprising, although some of the selections have been head-scratching, to say the least,” Chappell was quoted as saying by ABC.

Chappell further said he could not understand why left-handed batter Travis Head was dropped for the first Test in Nagpur. Following his shocking exclusion in Nagpur, Head was recalled for the second Test in New Delhi, making 12 and 43.

“You just don’t drop some guy who has been one of your top scorers in Australia. You find out if he can play in India.”

He was then left baffled by the decision to make Matthew Kuhnemann play in the second Test in New Delhi. Kuhnemann, who was flown following the return of Mitchell Swepson due to the birth of his child, was given a Test debut ahead of Ashton Agar and returned with figures of 2/72 and 0/38.

“He’s not bowling to the best batsmen in Australia. So, if his Shield record is quite good, you’ve got to remember he is not bowling to the best players. So, how do you decide that Kuhnemann is ready for India because he is bowling really well (in Sheffield Shield)?

“Now, a good selector — and I’m not sure we have got any of those at the moment — can see some things that tell him, ‘I think this guy is ready’ and you might take a punt. But in general, it’s not a good system for either the players or the selectors to decide who is ready for Test cricket.”

The post Ian Chappell Baffled Over Bizarre Australia Selections, Says’ Their Struggle Isin’t Surprising’ appeared first on Cricket Country.

Talking about the dismissal, Chappell reckoned that Kohli should have never tried to play that shot and instead would have been far better off in trying to push it on the on side to a place where there were no fielders.

“If you play as he suggested (Aakash Chopra) by opening up and keeping your left leg away from your right leg, then you are playing the shot and the keeper cannot see the edge, where as, by him having both of his legs together, his bat was outside his pads. So the keeper, not that I think he did see it in this situation, but he had a far greater chance of taking that catch with the way Kohli played the ball,” said Chappell in ESPNcricinfo’s Match Day Live right after the end of the second day’s play.

“The other thing I will have to say about that Kohli shot is why the hell was he trying to hit it around there. To me he is far better of playing as (Aakash) suggested, opening up the leg side and pushing that ball on to the on side away from the fielder, rather than trying to tickle. I mean, if as a batsman if I got caught in that fine-leg slip position, I will hang myself. Because as a right-hand batsman you should never get caught there. The only place where I would say, you might would be in Perth where the ball bounces a bit and it might catch your gloves or something but you should not get caught in leg slip,” he further said.

India find themselves in a commading position leading into the third day’s play with a lead of 144 runs as Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel brought up their individual fifties in the last session of the second day’s play.

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