India v Australia: Full reaction to Australia’s third Test victory in Indore

Steve Smith was emphatic in his response to questions about the Australian captaincy but the veteran batsman is set to continue in the role.

Australian captain Pat Cummins is unlikely to return to India in time for the fourth Test which begins Thursday in Ahmedabad, leaving Steve Smith in charge again.

The Australian camp was delighted with their nine-wicket victory in the third Test — only two sides have beaten India in a home game in the past 10 years — and said it validated their approach.

McDonald said “you have to be almost perfect to win in India” and said his side was that apart from a single hour where they lost 6-11 at Indore.

He added that an hour in Delhi — when they lost 8-28 — was the turning point in the second Test which they had otherwise controlled.

Critics had slammed McDonald and the team after losses in the first two Tests but the Australians “doubled down” on their plans for the third.

“To win in that style with Travis and Marnus there, that probably went against the whole trend in the game, one down with 78 to get home was an incredible achievement, they’re difficult to win Indian Test matches,” McDonald said.

Steve Smith and Australia were delighted with their performance in the third Test against India. Picture: Getty Images

“On the back of Delhi in particular, we had one hour of chaos there and that cost us that Test match when we’d played pretty good cricket across that game, we came here and doubled down on what we’d set out to achieve at the start of the tour and we were rewarded and I think the validation of the plans and the method and the way we go about it can work and that was proved over the last three days.

“We had an hour in this Test match as well where we lost 6-11 which could have easily thrown the game back into their control, but the way we have gone about it the whole tour is the way we have wanted to go about it the whole time. We’ve probably just chosen the wrong moment to press and that’s cost us at times.

“The most important thing on the back of Delhi was to freshen up, have a few days off to allow the players some space and then come back into work and got the prep right for this Test.

“Smudge (Smith) explained that to the team, he was happy with the way he got out, you have got to be happy with the way you fail at times and not go away from your plans. It’s difficult because if you are not getting the reward in runs or wickets or validation through wins.”

Australian coach Andrew McDonald. Picture: Getty Images

The ICC gave the pitch a “poor rating” with match referee Chris Broad saying the sight of the ball breaking through the top of the surface in the first over was unacceptable.

McDonald said he believed the conditions had been “extreme” in all three Tests and that created the sort of chaos that saw the side losing the toss win. He said it also removed some of the home advantage when it was so difficult to bat.

The coach praised the efforts of the whole team, singling out an extraordinary effort by Alex Carey who pulled off a critical stumping and conceded no extras in the first innings, saying it was an “absolute clinic”.

There had been some criticism of the Australians appealing for a stumping when an edge might be at hand — therefore bypassing the DRS — but McDonald said all keepers tend to remove the bails in such situations.

AUSTRALIA PROVES ITS WORTH WITH WIN FOR THE AGES

Australia’s win on the third morning of the Indore Test was one for the ages.

It comes too late to give them any chance of winning the Border Gavaskar Trophy, but confirms the sense that this a team who just needed a break to prove its worth.

Winning in India is the hardest task in cricket. Only two sides have managed it in the last decade.

Winning when the wicket was so poor and when things had gone so wrong was a triumph.

With Pat Cummins, David Warner, Josh Hazlewood and Ashton Agar back in Australia, a stand in captain, a makeshift opener and a simple Australian spinner beat the Indians at their own game.

Australia embraced the obstacles placed in its path.

Such was the magnitude of the win, Smith, who managed his bowlers magnificently, had to deflect calls that he should replace Pat Cummins.

Steve Smith enjoys Australia’s win over India during his press conference.

“My time is done,” he said.

“It’s Pat’s team now. I’ve obviously been able to stand in this week, obviously in tough circumstances with Patty going home. Our thoughts are still with him back home as well.

“Look, India is a part of the world I love captaining. It’s a game of chess, every ball means something. it’s good to just move people and trying to make the batter do something different and, and just play games with them. It’s probably my favourite place in the world to captain.

“You think back home in Australia and generally you’re playing with a third slip or putting a third slip to cover or your square leg up or back or something like that.

“There’s not too much that sort of goes on with it. Sort of just stick to the same game plan and try to trust what you’re trying to do there. But this part of the world you have to be really proactive. Every ball is an event and therefore can dictate what happens after, which is something that I really love and you’ve got to be ahead of the game. So I thought I did it well this week and it was good fun.”

Steve Smith calls for a score review during the third Test.

Smith handed his assessment of the pitch to match referee Chris Broad as partners and family gathered quietly on the players balcony after the match.

While it deserves sanction, the batsman said he enjoyed the challenges it created.

“All the wickets have spun, we haven’t gotten past three days yet so that shows that it’s been spinning from day one in all the test matches but I personally I really enjoyed playing on these kind of wickets,” he said.

“I prefer this than just a genuine flat wicket that goes five days and can be boring in stages. There’s always something happening on these wickets. You’ve got to really work hard for your runs. But it’s showed that the guys can do it. Guys can do it, you’ve got to work hard for them and you need some luck. With this one, whether it might have been a little bit too extreme, potentially from the first ball. I’m not really entirely sure, but it was still another enjoyable.”

Originally published as India v Australia: Full reaction to Australia’s third Test victory in Indore