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SCG just wait, you might be the venue to witness India win a Test series in Australia for the first time in history. Adelaide Oval and the MCG have already seen them take lead. This Indian team is unstoppable. This was as weak a Kangaroo team as they will ever get, and they are making the most of it. A complete performance at the MCG meant they move to the New year Test with a 2-1 lead. But was it complete in every term? Most of you would say "Yes" but actually it wasn't.
There were two decisions or tactics that were questionable as far as logical lexicon is concerned.
Run-rate push never came:- There isn't been any doubt that the series hasn't been a briskly scoring one. Runs have been hard to come by due to some high-quality bowling. But at the MCG, India took the advantage on day 1 by just losing two wickets even though they put a mediocre 215 runs on the board.
The first session on day 2 was expected to be tough and Kohli-Pujara duo steered it with flying colours. India will now switch gears, fans would have thought. But they had to wait for ages to see the acceleration as Rohit and Pant played defensively even against the part-timer Finch. Was a permanent place in the playing XI tempted Rohit to get some runs under his belt? Did Pant not want to throw his wicket again? Or was it a part of a plan?
Well if it was a plan, then the team management made a miscalculation. India batted almost for two entire days and yes Aussies batting lineup was a weak one. But if they had applied themselves and batted for about one and half day or so, then the match was heading towards a draw. A draw was what a "ruthless captain" was thinking about.
India bowled out Aussies for a mere 151 runs and so, the error in judgement didn't come back to haunt them.
Follow-on not enforced:- If you talk to an Indian fan about follow-on, his talk wouldn't be complete without the mention of the famous Kolkata Test in 2001. After that Test where India won after being asked to follow-on, teams have been less interested in enforcing it. Here in the boxing day Test match, India bowled out Aussies with a lead of 292 runs and their bowlers were in great rhythm to knock them again.
Virat Kohli, as we have seen it, hasn't been a big fan of enforcing the follow-on. There wasn't even a need though had the weather forecast shown promise. But, it wasn't on day 4 and particularly on day 5, there was a prediction of rain. In such a scenario, team India wouldn't have liked the match dominated by them to end in a draw due to rain. So, enforcing the follow-on should have been a no-brainer. But, captain Kohli is unpredictable, unlike batsman Kohli. Weather nemesis did come on day 5 and Kohli's heart would have been in his mouth. Play resumed after an entire session was washed. India were determined to create history and 27 balls were all it took to take a lead heading into the last Test, the feat never achieved by India down under.
India is a happier camp. They were the better team. It always happens that if you win, your shortcomings are somewhere sheltered by the result. Same goes here. India sealed the game, so it's all praises. But had the result not been such, the team management's tactical flaws would have been the headlines of town.
