Kohli, Pant, Gill told they 'can't stand up to Australian quicks' as mind games begin: 'Jaiswal is good but…'
Former Australia wicketkeeper Brad Haddin feels Indian batters lack what it takes to handle the bowling attack of Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
With 10 days to go for the start of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, former Australia wicketkeeper Brad Haddin has started playing mind games when he claimed that Indian batters, irrespective of how good it is, don't have the firepower to tackle the Australian pace attack. During a discussion on the LiSTNR Sport podcast, Haddin had Aaron Finch as his guest, with the former Australian captain pointing out how both teams' top order may not be able to contribute much as the bowling attack of India and Australia are equally threatening. But Haddin specifically pointed out India's batting and how susceptible it could look in Perth, the venue for the first Test.
The Indian top order features a who's who of batting superstars. Even if Rohit Sharma is not available for the series opener, the top six will feature Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, and one of KL Rahul and Sarfaraz Khan, with Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin to follow. But Haddin has outrightly ruled the possibility of any of them being able to score runs against Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon, let alone thrive. Jaiswal shows promise given the bumper year he's enjoyed, but even the 22-year-old will be tested, considering it's his first Test tour of Australia, reckons Haddin.
"I don't think that the Indian batters are going to stand up to our quicks. I know Jaiswal is a really good player, but he hasn't come out and seen Australia before, so I'm not sure whether he is going to handle the bounce. Opening in Perth is hard work," Haddin said.
Both batting orders will struggle, adds Aaron Finch
Finch's take slightly differed from Haddin's, in which he claimed that Australia's top order would struggle equally against the Indian pacers. With Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Ashwin, Jadeja and Akash Deep in their ranks, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh won't find it easy despite playing on home conditions. Hence, Finch feels it's the wicketkeepers – Alex Carey and Rishabh Pant – who hold the power to change the tide of the series.
"I think the key could be Alex Carey and Rishabh Pant, the two wicketkeepers are going to be so important. At one time or the other in the series, the top order will get knocked over. Both fast-bowling attacks are so good that they will get on a roll and knock over the top order. So for me it's that really crucial role of Alex at No. 7 and Rishabh at 6 likely. Carey is aggressive, Rishabh is aggressive. The game is going to go one or two ways really quick. And I think that will be so important," said Finch.
"Maybe it's the second new ball, where you are 5 down and it's coming just before stumps. And they take it for 50 in those 10 overs. It just changes the whole momentum of the game. I think it's so important that No. 7 has an impact on the game because in my opinion, both fast-bowling attacks cancel each other out. Nathan, Ashwin, Jadeja… perhaps Nathan with just that advantage playing in Australia. Both batting line-ups haven't been at their best for a little while and that's why the keepers are so important."
