Australian captain Pat Cummins has dismissed suggestions of a split in the Australian dressing room but could not rule changes to the side for the second Test against India after his side’s disastrous series opening loss in Perth.
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Despite bowling India out for 150 on Friday, the Australians still suffered a demoralising 295-run loss in the First Test of the five match Border Gavaskar Trophy and now have 11 days to take stock to take stock ahead of the next meeting in Adelaide.
Australia’s woeful first innings total of 104 set the tone for the dismal defeat, with Australia’s top four batters failing to cope with the outstanding bowling of Indian captain Jasprit Bumrah, along with Mohammed Siraj and Harshit Rana.
The combined total of the top four batters in the match was 29 runs, which is the lowest total by an Australian top four ever. But there is a asterisk, for former captain Steve Smith came in at No.5 in the second innings after Cummins served as a nightwatchman on Sunday, a role usually filled by Nathan Lyon.
Australia initially named a squad for only the First Test, but it is expected the 13 members including 12th man Scott Boland and reserve batter Josh Inglis will gather in Adelaide for a pink ball Test beginning next Friday.
Given the early finish in Perth, the Australians will bring their arriving in South Australia forward by a day to Monday.
The Australians will review their best 11 but Cummins said there no other plans to alter the preparation to allow batters an opportunity to find form in a match between Australia A and India in Canberra, or in grade cricket matches in their home states.
“I think after a Test you look at what you think your best match-up is. This is a sample size of one,” he said.
“Four or five days ago we thought this was our best XI. So I dare say … there won’t be many changes going into Adelaide, but I’m not a selector. I’m sure they’ll get together after the game. We (have) got a bit of work to do over the next 10 days.”
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Former Australian batsmen Adam Gilchrist and David Warner discussed the form of star batters Labuschagne and Smith after the match, pondering whether their extended history with the bat had brought them additional time.
“They have earned the right, this top order, Marnus and Steve Smith, they’ve cashed in for a lot of years for Australia with great value, but how soon does the blowtorch come on?” Gilchrist said.
Warner, who retired from Test cricket in January, urged the top four “to get together (and) have a conversation, work out among themselves what (they) can do differently.”
“(They should ask), ‘How do we approach it? Do we (need to) be braver?’” Warner said.
“We saw Steve Smith adapting (in the second innings), not going too far across (his stumps). He’s tinkering with a few things, but that top order has earnt that right. But (the spotlight) will shine on them if they’re not scoring any runs in the next couple of Test matches.”
Cummins said that the entirety of the Australian side was working hard to find form. He backed Labuschagne to respond in Adelaide, noting he has performed well in Adelaide in the past. The Queenslander scored 163 against the West Indies at Adelaide Oval in 2022.
“Marn, along with quite a few guys in the team, didn’t have the week we would have wanted. (But) it’s no secret how hard the batters, particularly Marn, work in the nets. He’s always trying to find those small marginal gains,” he said.
“This week will be a lot of conversation with the coaches around his approach and what he could be doing differently. We know he’s a class player.
“(When he is) at his best, he is one of the scariest propositions for opposition bowlers to bowl at. This week will be about those conversations. He’s done it before over there (and) he’s got a very good pink ball record, so I always think (that) looking back at past successes (and) when you are at your best. (That) is always a pretty good way to get yourself back on track.”
While Josh Hazlewood, who was one of the few Australians to perform at his peak in the First Test, received some criticism for his comments in a press conference after Day 3, Cummins dismissed suggestions of a split between the batting and bowling groups.
“I don’t know what Joshy said, but no, not at all. There’s plenty of times where the batters have dragged us bowlers out of tight situations and we’ve done the same. It’s a really tight unit. It’s probably one of the tightest teams I’ve ever played with,” he said.
“We really enjoyed playing cricket together. We’ve been through a lot (over) the last few years, the core group, so (there are) no problems there. Everyone gets along really well.”
Cummins said Monday’s result would sting, noting that “when you sit in the changeroom after a loss like that … it hurts. When a team declares on you, it’s never an amazing feeling.”
“It was fairly disappointing. We thought our preparation leading in was really good (and) everyone was firing, but it was just one of those games where not much went right. We’ve got a fair bit to look at ahead of next week,” he said.
“After a loss, you want to get back on the horse pretty quickly, but we’ll take a couple of days rest and then get into Adelaide and have some good prep leading into that Test.
“We didn’t really give ourselves a chance in a few different facets and I think late on day one, if we just got through that period, then maybe the game looks a little bit different on day two. There are a few different areas we need to clean up.”
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