After the lowest ever score in the team’s Test history, former captain Sunil Gavaskar said that it is not fair to blame the Indian batsmen for being blown away by the Australian bowling unit at Adelaide Oval on Saturday.
Instead, Gavaskar said, the focus should be on the bowling brilliance of Australia.
India crashed to their lowest ever score of 36 as Australia ran riot to win the opening Test in Adelaide by eight wickets after Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins produced a bowling masterclass.
The visitors started the third day of the pink-ball Test on nine for one and with a 62-run lead, looking to build a competitive second innings total.
Data check: After India fold for 36/9 in Adelaide, a look at lowest Test totals in history and more
But their hopes were left in tatters on a wicket with bounce and deviation, as Hazlewood took 5/8, including his 200th Test wicket, and Cummins 4/21.
Set 90 to win, Australia lost two wickets in the chase, with Joe Burns unbeaten on 51.
“Any team that is all out for their lowest ever Test score since they started playing, that’s never good to see,” Gavaskar, who is in Australia on commentary duties, told broadcasters 7 Cricket.
“But having said that, most of the teams that faced such a bowling attack would have been in trouble. Maybe not all out for 36, maybe it would have been 72, 80 or 90. But the way Hazlewood, Cummins bowled and the earlier spell from Starc... asked a lot of questions.
“It is not fair to blame the Indian batsmen for the way they got out, because it was just simply superb bowling by the Australians. Like I said, most teams would have struggled,” Gavaskar added.
Australia take a 1-0 lead in the Test series and the second match begins in Melbourne on 26 December.
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