Australia captain Pat Cummins says his side needs to be a “little bit brave” if it is to conquer India’s spinners following their harrowing defeat in the first Test in Nagpur.
Key points:
- India defeated Australia by an innings and 32 runs
- Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja combined to take 15 of Australia’s wickets
- Pat Cummins says Australia needs to reassess how to bat against India’s spinners
India won by an innings and 32 runs inside three days in the series opener, having reduced Australia to a total of just 91 in its second dig.
It was Australia lowest Test score in India.
The home side’s spinners did much of the damage in both of Australia’s innings.
Player of the match Ravindra Jadeja took 5-47 in the first innings, while claiming 2-34 in the second.
Ravichandran Ashwin returned the figures of 3-42 and 5-37 to help India to a 1-0 lead in the four-Test series.
Cummins said Australia needed to consider throwing caution to the wind if its batters were to get on top of India’s spinners.
“I think that will be in the conversations over the next week,” he told ABC Sport.
“I don’t think there were any surprises out there. We knew what we were going to expect. They bowled well, so it’s about coming up with a couple of different methods.
“I think at times you’ve got to be a little bit brave and a little bit proactive to try and put the pressure back on the bowling.
“It’s easier said than done. [Ashwin and Jadeja] are world-class performers.”
Cummins said Australia’s second-innings capitulation was not helped by India’s bowling attack being fresher after their tourists were kept in the field as the hosts compiled a first-innings total of 400.
“You’ve got to bat big to be able to post a score but to also give your bowlers a rest,” Cummins said.
Aussies fail to ‘cash in’
Steve Smith, who made 37 and an unbeaten 25 in his two knocks, said Australia let itself down with the bat on the opening day of the match.
Australia was 2-84, before eventually being all out for 177.
“177 wasn’t anywhere near enough,” Smith said.
“We needed to cash in and post a decent total and put India under some pressure. We weren’t able to do that and they scored too many.”
Cummins said the performance of debutant spinner Todd Murphy was a positive Australia could take way from the first Test.
Murphy claimed 7-124, his haul including the prized wickets of Virat Kohli (12), Cheteshwar Pujara (7) and Jadeja (70).
“I felt like [Murphy] controlled the scoreboard really well and he has a lot of different options,” Cummins said.
The second Test begins in Delhi on Friday.
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