The visitors have gained the upper hand in the fourth and final Test between Australia and India in Ahmedabad. Usman Khawaja played a long knock of 180 from 422 balls as the visitors put up a huge 480/10 on the board in their opening innings of play. Star all-rounder Cameron Green, who scored his first Test century before being dismissed by R Ashwin on 114, provided him with a lot of assistance.
Basit Ali, a former Pakistan cricketer, believes Australia has been overly defensive on both days despite being in control and has criticized Usman Khawaja for being too “selfish” in his criticism. Ali made his salient points in a video posted on his YouTube page.
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Basit Ali Feels Usman Khawaja Was Very Timid And It Was A Selfish Innings
“The way Australia played it felt like the team from 1970-80. They won the toss and scored 255 on Day 1 and 225 on Day 2. It felt like Australia is leading 2-1 in the series but it is India, who are leading 2-1. Just because they have reached the finals of the World Test Championship, so they have maintained a defensive approach.”
He soon moved the conversation to Usman Khawaja, adding: “Usman Khawaja played like a batsman from Bangladesh. His approach was very timid, and I feel it was a selfish inning. You score 180 runs after playing 422 deliveries in this pitch. Only Green looked like a batter from Australia,” he said.
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In order to restore Steve Smith to his old position as Australia captain, Ali continued by blaming both stand-in captain Steve Smith and coach Andrew McDonald.
“The mindset with which Steve Smith and their coach Andrew McDonald employed was extremely sad. Their coach was an ordinary player and his thinking too is very ordinary. I also want to make one more point that this is a plot to remove Pat Cummins from the captaincy and reinstate Smith as their new leader. Smith led Australia to a win in the third Test and they now want to play a draw, so Smith can once again be at the helm with his selected group of players,” Ali said further.
Under Cummins’ direction, Australia lost badly in both of its opening games of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Nevertheless, the pacemaker had to abandon the competition in the middle and go back to Australia to be with his mother, who passed away on Thursday night.
Smith assumed the captaincy when Cummins left and led Australia to a spectacular comeback in what had appeared to be a one-sided match up until that point. Australia, who outperformed India in all areas, won the test match in Indore by nine wickets and is now aiming to even the series.
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