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Reaction to Australia’s historic victory in Pune

SHANE Warne may want to stay off social media for a while, after Steve O’Keefe answered his disapproval in historic fashion.

Adam Santarossa and Alex Blair
5 min read
February 26, 2017 - 10:09AM
Shane Warne.
Shane Warne.

IF you asked any Australian fan how they thought the first Test would play out before day one, you’d likely receive a dire answer.

Australia’s record in India this century has been patchy, with the Baggy Green unit unable to snag a single victory since the golden era squad snapped up the series in 2004.

Nobody who understood the game well enough would have dared to picked India — who have two of the world’s best spinners — as the losers for the first Test at the dusty Pune stadium.

Australia’s win sent a shockwave through the India camp with captain Virat Kohli admitting it was India’s “worst batting performance in two years”.

Here’s how the cricketing world reacted to the 13-year first.

WARNE SAVAGED FOR O’KEEFE CRITICISM

Australian legend Shane Warne is copping it on social media after his criticism of Steve O’Keefe.

Warne said O’Keefe was simply a “safe” option by Australian selectors early on day one, saying he wished selectors went for Ashton Agar or Mitchell Swepson, who Warne deemed as “dangerous”.

O’Keefe was surprisingly handed the new ball in Pune and at the time Warne said the spinner was Australia’s “weakest” bowler.

“When you first start a session you want to set the tone and put pressure on the Indian batsmen and, without trying to be too harsh on Steve O’Keefe, this is the weakest of the Australian bowlers,” Warne told Star Sports.

“You can understand Steve Smith trying to give him confidence, but there is a time and a place for Steve O’Keefe to get his confidence, right now is the time for Australia to ram home the advantage with Nathan Lyon I believe at that end.

“I think Steve O’Keefe might get a wicket and that would be great, but I think Nathan Lyon is a better chance of taking a wicket.

It’s not the first time Warne has been critical of O’Keefe. The leg-spinner made similar comments following O’Keefe’s recall for the Sydney Test against Pakistan in January.

But O’Keefe provided the perfect response to Warne’s jibe and it’s safe to say Australian fans let the spin king know about it.

While Warne offered congratulations to O’Keefe following his first innings performance, there was no such tribute after he did it again in the second.

Instead, Warne praised the century from Australian captain Steve Smith.

He did respond however to criticism from former England captain Michael Vaughan, who pointed out just how wrong Warne got it. But Warne instead turned the attention to how poor England were in the recent Test series against the Indians, in comparison to Australia.

As one Indian fan pointed out, perhaps Warne is just a little jealous that O’Keefe now has figures unmatched by even the great Shane Warne.

HOW FORMER GREATS REACTED

Former England batsmen and commentators David Lloyd and Michael Vaughn brought attention to the crumbling Pune pitch, slamming its quality as a Test match wicket.

A number of former Australian greats, who know how hard it is to win in India, took to social media to praise Steve Smith’s side.

HOW INDIAN CRICKET REACTED

Indian captain Virat Kohli wasn’t get too carried away in defeat.

After going 19 Test matches unbeaten before their capitulation in Pune, the skipper said the loss to Australia is the wake up call India needed.

“It’s just another international game, it’s no big deal,” he said.

“I would say that we needed something like this for us to get a reality check and understand what are the things we need to work on, keep persisting with it and not take anything for granted at any stage, especially in Test match cricket at the international cricket.”

“Conceding a (155-run) lead on that sort of wicket is criminal.

“If you’re close enough to the first innings total than the bowlers mindset is different in the second innings.

Kohli, who many consider to be one of the best in the world, was just one batsman who fell victim to Australian hero Steve O’Keefe.

“It was a judgment error from my side,” Kohli said. “I left the ball too early. I should have waited for the ball a little more.

“You can’t say which ball is going to turn or which isn’t, you’ve got to play the line and I certainly didn’t do that, so it was my fault.”

Harbhajan Singh, who blasted the Australian squad as the “weakest to ever tour India”, immediately praised the tourists for their performance on the questionable deck.

HOW THE FANS REACTED

Australian fans are overcome with emotion after the side won their first Test in India for 13 years.

HOW INDIAN MEDIA REACTED

The Indian media were no doubt critical of the Indian performance, but warned that the home side will likely bounce back in the second Test given the embarrassment dished out by the Aussies in Pune.

Commentator Harsha Bogle and former Test great VVS Laxman were just two who are expecting an Indian resurgence.

RECORDS TUMBLE IN PUNE

It was the Steve O’Keefe show in Pune.
It was the Steve O’Keefe show in Pune.

The first Test in Pune is also memorable for the amount of records it broke. It was 4502 days since Australia had beaten India at home.

Steve O’Keefe picked up a swag of records thanks to his incredible bowling display.

His 12/70 is the best bowling figures by an Australian in India.

The record was previously held by Alan Davidson, who took 12/124 in Kanpur 1959.

The spinner also has the 10th best figures all-time by an Australian bowler. Five bowlers that sit above O’Keefe on the list played in a time of uncovered wickets. They’re also the fourth best by an Australian bowler overseas.

O’Keefe provided the best figures by an Australian spinner in 81 years.

His haul was the second best by a touring bowler in India and the greatest spell by a travelling spinner.

Also, Australia’s 333 run victory is their second biggest in terms of runs in India, just behind their 342 run win in 2004.

The 441 target Steve Smith’s men set India was the third highest in history set by Australia. Consequently India’s scores of 105 and 107 combine for their lowest total in Test history on home soil. The 212 runs scored by the hosts in Pune - the lowest in a completed match.

India also had 13 single digit scores from their batsmen, the joint second worse return in history for them at home.

It was also India’s first Test defeat in 19 matches, a record that stretches back to mid-2015.

Indian captain Virat Kohli recorded the first duck of his career in the first innings, and his 14 runs in Pune is his lowest ever, when he has batted in both innings.

Mitchell Starc became only the third Australian to hit six sixes in a Test more than once, joining Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden.

All around, it was a crazy test in Pune.

Originally published as Reaction to Australia’s historic victory in Pune

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Original URL: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/cricket/reaction-to-australias-historic-victory-in-pune/news-story/a0f3a441d7df4b5f3be5a491d9892343