India v Australia, first Test: Mitch Swepson to return home for birth of child as bolter Matt Kuhnemann’s chances boosted
Australia is set to lose another bowler from its squad, enhancing the chances of a shock inclusion for the second Test against India.
Cricket
Don't miss out on the headlines from Cricket. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Australia is another player down with spinner Mitchell Swepson returning home to be at the birth of his baby, enhancing the chances that Queensland finger spinner Matt Kuhnemann could play the second Test.
Kuhnemann, who is completing a Sheffield Shield game against Victoria, will answer an SOS to rush to India this week in the wake of Australia’s first Test debacle in Nagpur.
Ashton Agar is understood to be low on confidence and not bowling well in the nets and if Cameron Green returns to the side Australia could have the option of dropping Scott Boland and playing Kuhnemann if Delhi is a spinning Test.
The team needs to take 20 wickets to even the series and struggled to make any dent in the Indian innings on a pitch in Nagpur where the Indian spinners monstered the Australians.
It is very unconventional for a bowler to be added to a touring party for reasons other than an injury to one of the players in front of him, but Australia is suddenly in desperate straits.
Australia will spend the next few days formulating a battle plan for the next three Tests after their landslide first Test loss in Nagpur with calls from Mitchell Johnson to replace David Warner with Travis Head at the top of the order.
Australia had hopes that Agar would be their version of India’s livewire Ravi Jadeja – a left-arm spinner, useful bat and fine fieldsman – but he has reportedly struggled to find any sort of form in the nets.
Kuhnemann, who played for Australia under-19s, has played just 12 first class matches but has been a steady, cool-headed performer for the Queensland Bulls with 32 wickets at 34 apiece.
Australia is in raptures over the performance of debutant off-spinner Todd Murphy (7-124 in Nagpur) in an attack which also featured the more experienced offie Nathan Lyon (1-126).
But the bottom line was that India managed 400 in their only innings so Australia must look at ways to find wickets.
Now one down in the series, Australia, for all their batting concerns after being bowled out for 177 and 91 in Nagpur, must also find ways to strike back with the ball.
Squeezing Kuhnemann into the team would not be easy but Australia is suddenly desperate for extra penetration.
In all of its pre-tour research Australia found that the single most important weapon a team must have in India is a left-arm finger spinner.
The crafty, tireless Jadeja took 7-79 in the match and there is now and expectation that India will continue to prepare wickets which yield enough turn for their home grown tweakers to shine more brightly that tourists not accustomed to such conditions.
Mitchell Starc, who missed the opening Test with a finger injury, is likely to be available but a cloud still hangs over all-rounder Cameron Green who is also battling injury.
The absence of Green’s bowling has rocked Australia’s game plan and left captain Pat Cummins with a difficult task to balance the work load in an attack with not as many options as the team needs or is suited to.
‘BE BRAVE’: CUMMINS BACKS SELECTORS, BATTERS AFTER HUGE DEFEAT
Peter Lalor
Pat Cummins defended selectors after the side suffered a humiliating defeat by an innings and 132 runs at Nagpur and called on his batsmen to back their plans despite the historically bad effort.
The selection panel shocked cricket fans when in form batsman Travis Head was dropped ahead of the game.
“We were confident it was our best XI this week,” he said. “We know the quality Trav is, he’s a huge part of this team but we were confident in the 11 guys out there. He’s been really good around the group. He’s been out the back working really hard on his game like he always does.”
Head may have made a slight difference, but all the batsmen failed to master the conditions and the side was bowled out for 91 in its final innings – the lowest ever by an Australian side in India.
India’s two spinners, Ravi Ashwin and Ravi Jadeja took 15 wickets in the match.
Cummins was at a loss to explain how they could be bundled out in a session when India had batted for over a day and a half to score 400 runs.
“Playing in India, the game really speeds up,” he said. “It’s a good thing if you’re on top, if you’re behind it can be really challenging. I thought all their bowlers bowled really well, really put the pressure on us and next time we’ve got to find a way to manage that.
“A lot of it was good bowling. Two masters (Jadeja and Ashwin) of their craft, fresh legs, they bowled really well. In saying that I don’t think much is going to change the next couple of games.
“That’s what we’re going to come against so we have to find better methods.”
The batsmen arrived confident they had the plans to counter India’s spinners, but were completely at sea against the spin of Jadeja and Ashwin.
“That (plans) will be the review the next few days,” he said. “I think everyone came with pretty clear plans. I think the challenge is under the furnace to be brave enough to be proactive at the time, that will be the conversations over the next couple of days. We faced some pretty tough bowlers at times.
“You saw Smithy and Alex Carey at times put the pressure back on the bowlers. I think it takes a bit of bravery, it’s easier said than done. If you’re just facing ball after ball and the bowler’s pretty good you’re going to get one with your name on it. Again, that will be the conversation this week. If we get the same conditions, same bowlers, what are we going to do differently? I think at times probably being more proactive.”
Mitchell Starc left for India on Saturday and is expected to be fit to play, but Josh Hazlewood will miss the second consecutive game.
The absence of all rounder Cameron Green is the biggest problem, forcing selectors to choose between either a batsman or a bowler to fill his position, but Cummins could not guarantee he would be ready for the match.
“Greeny’s a bit of a wait and see, still hoping, he’s had a couple of good hits out here. He’s bowling’s pretty good, the next couple of days we’ll assess it,” he said.
The loss is only the second from 16 Tests since Cummins took over as captain.
“We’ve had a really good run the last 12 months,” he said. “There hasn’t been many losses in that change room I don’t think we need to reinvent the wheel, it’s just tweaking different approaches to how we play and maybe particular methods.
Todd Murphy’s seven wickets on debut was Australia’s only positive for the game.
“Todd was fantastic, we’ve seen quite a bit of him over the last week, but also all season for Victoria and a little bit in Sri Lanka, we’ve been really impressed,” Cummins said.
“He’s a little bit different to Nathan as well, a bit flatter, bowls more square seamers as well as getting up and over them. He walked straight in and looked like he belonged at this level. With only four frontline bowlers we knew that second spinner was key and he was fantastic.”
INDIAN STAR FINED DESPITE BEING CLEARED OF BALL TAMPERING
Ben Horne
Ravindra Jadeja has been cleared of ball tampering but still slapped with a fine for his bizarre ball-rubbing incident in the first Test.
The Indian star was fined 25 per cent of his match fee by ICC match referee Andy Pycroft for conduct that was against the spirit of the game.
However, Pycroft stopped short of pinning Jadeja for ball tampering, satisfied that the cream he mysteriously applied to his spinning finger from teammate Mohammed Siraj’s palm was done for medical reasons and not to aid in the treatment of the ball.
Jadeja has copped a demerit point but won’t miss a Test match as it’s his first offence in two years.
Viral video footage caused widespread debate around the cricketing world, with Michael Clarke, Michael Vaughan and Tim Paine among those to question Jadeja’s actions.
Former Australian spinner Steve O’Keefe was one man to launch a passionate defence of Jadeja, citing the common problem of finger abrasions for spinners, who aren’t allowed to use band-aids or tape.
Jadeja admitted the offence and pleaded guilty, negating the need for a hearing.
More Coverage
This is absolutely shocking!
— The Cricket Podcast (@TheCricketPod) February 9, 2023
Jadeja is quite clearly applying a magic potion to his finger here, which has tricked the Australian's into forgetting they can use their bats.
12 month ban. Now. #AUSvINDpic.twitter.com/dukRDR1sni
Originally published as India v Australia, first Test: Mitch Swepson to return home for birth of child as bolter Matt Kuhnemann’s chances boosted
The day cricket was outshone by rugby league in November
Australia needs to be careful as it manages an ageing champion team – and a potentially disinterested fan base. If this is the future, we can see why they’re clinging desperately to the present.
Pakistan seal historic win after catastrophic Aussie surrender
Australia has produced another dismal batting display as they conceded a series defeat to Pakistan for the first time in 22 years.