India Get The Top Order Early But Fail To Chop The Tail: Sunil Gavaskar

Former India opener, Sunil Gavaskar feels that the Indian bowlers let the match slip away from their grab by allowing Tim Paine and Cameron Green to forge an unbeaten 6th wicket partnership. Australia ended Day 1 of the ongoing Test match in Brisbane at the score of 274/5.

Tim Paine won the toss and decided to bat first against an Indian bowling attack that had an experience of just 4 Test matches. Injuries to all the first-choice bowlers meant that T Natarajan and Washington Sundar were handed debuts in Brisbane, after Mohammed Siraj and Navdeep Saini earlier in the series, and Shardul Thakur has also played just a single game.

The young and inexperienced Indian bowling line-up fared better than expected as they dismissed the openers and got rid of Steve Smith sooner. Marnus Labuchagne and Matthew Wade did score runs, the former notching up his 5th Test ton, but both were sent back to the dressing room by Natarajan with the use of short balls.

It has happened since 1932: Sunil Gavaskar

Australia was reduced to 213/5, however, the Indian bowlers couldn’t capitalize on their good work done hitherto. Paine and Green dug in and then cashed on the new ball and have set Australia to build a good score.

Sunil Gavaskar believes that had the bowlers didn’t let loose after the fifth wicket, had they taken another couple of wickets in the last hour of the game, India would have been on top by the end of the day.

The 71-year-old says that the inability to clean up the tail has been a problem with India’s bowling since their first Test match. Sunil Gavaskar hopes for the bowlers to restrict the hosts for less than 350 so that India stands a chance to win the game.

“The Indian bowlers get the first wickets but they struggle to get the last five wickets. India at least till tea time were controlling the game. If they got another couple of wickets then you could’ve said the day was India’s India had a really good chance of restricting Australia if they had got another wicket but this unbeaten partnership as taken it towards Australia,” Sunil Gavaskar told Sony Sports Networks.

“Like it has happened since 1932 when India played their first game in England, they had England’s top five out for a low score and the last five added a lot of runs. So that has been the story of Indian cricket.

“I’m only hoping they don’t struggle as much as 1932 or subsequently and they restrict Australia to maybe 350 or thereabouts,” the legendary opener added.

Also Read: Watch: After Being Racially Abused At The SCG, Mohammed Siraj Once Again Abused By Australian Fans At The Gabba