It was pitch that was playing on their minds: Gavaskar after India's loss

After India's embarrassing nine-wicket loss to Australia in the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, batting great Sunil Gavaskar said that the host did not get enough runs as the "pitch was playing on their minds".

The pitch conditions have grabbed the headlines in the four-match series. There were a lot of comments on the pitch for the Nagpur and Delhi Test, which received an average rating from the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Australia was beaten by an inning and 132 runs in the first Test and lost the second inside three days by 6 wickets. However, India allowed Australia to claw back into the 4-match series and make it 1-2 after a dismal batting display against the spin attack in the third Test in Indore.

 

"In the first two matches, they did not get runs. Apart from Rohit Sharma in Nagpur, they did not get enough runs. When you don't get enough runs, there is just that little tentativeness in their batting," Gavaskar told Star Sports.

"They did not get enough runs. They were not able to go down the pitch as much as they should have. They let the pitch overtake them. It was the pitch that was playing on their minds, even more so in the second innings," he added.

India was bundled out for just 109 after opting to bat first on day one of the third Test, where Australia's left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann claimed his maiden five-fer.

In the second innings off-spinner Nathan Lyon completed his second eight-wicket haul in Test cricket to bowl out India for 169, setting a target of 76 runs and putting Australia on the verge of a victory in the third Test.

Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne slammed unbeaten 49 and 28 respectively to take Australia to a comprehensive nine-wicket win over India in the third Test at Holkar Stadium on Friday.

After witnessing the loss of their favourite team, fans also slammed Rohit Sharma's men while many felt that Rishabh Pant's presence could have aided India in saving the match.

 

A user wrote on Twitter: "India trying to make extreme turning wicket in Indore vs Australia didn't end well" Another fan said: "Got over so quickly, like the movie finishing before the interval."

"We have been saying a lot that Indian players r very good against spin attack but is it really so?? There have been numerous contradicting instances in recent years. Maybe we need to realize that this isn't the case now," another fan tweeted.

Recalling the 2020-21 Border Gavaskar Trophy, where Rishabh Pant led the team to a historic win at the Gabba that sealed a place for India in the inaugural World Test Championships, a fan said that the presence of the wicketkeeper-batter could have saved the match for India.

"Rishab Pant could have saved us. No one else can play the way Rishabh was playing spin. he's currently the best test batsman of India "

"Would've actually won the series if the preparation leading into it would've been better! Big opportunity missed." another fan said.

--IANS

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