Australia vs India, 3rd Test: 3 Steps to Success for India at Melbourne

#2 Control the scoring rate through Jadeja

On the eve of the third Test, Ravindra Jadeja was passed fit after Ravi Shastri came up with an inexplicable statement regarding his fitness. However, now that the dust has settled, the left-arm spinner can concentrate on helping his team achieve victory at the MCG.

The Indian think-tank made a mistake of historic proportions when they decided to play four fast bowlers at Perth. Fortunately, though, they seem to have learnt their lesson as Jadeja was named in the squad to turn out at Melbourne.

The MCG’s drop-in wicket has produced some slow and low pitches over the past few years. Despite the curator promising a lively pitch, one can’t change its characteristics overnight and hence, spin will have a major role to play in the Test.

India enjoyed success in the first Test because they were able to keep the Aussie batsmen on a tight leash. Ashwin held up one end and with the fast bowlers equally probing, Australia played out a lot of deliveries without actually going anywhere.

Subsequently, Australia was forced to make the play and they lost wickets in their endeavour.

However, at Perth, India leaked runs from one end as Yadav and Shami were highly inconsistent in the first innings. Though the latter redeemed himself, the former was still erratic and failed to create pressure.

At Melbourne, India needs to do more of what they did at Adelaide and try to gain a semblance of control through Jadeja. The lad from Saurashtra is highly accurate and could play the role to perfection.

Even in the unlikely situation of the MCG strip not aiding him, he can be used as a temporary defensive option which would enable India to attack from the other end or from the same end when the moment arrives.

There was a lot of talk and criticism regarding Jadeja’s fitness before the game. Yet, if he can ‘spin’ his team to victory, all of it would be forgotten. And forgotten very quickly.