Robert Craddock: Why selection room bravery will be Aussies’ trump card on the subcontinent
India’s record of losing only one of its last 30 home series speaks volumes for its invincibility at home. That’s why no-one pokes the bear in India. And that could the ace in Australia’s deck of cards.
Australia has drawn a Test but learnt a valuable lesson for an Indian tour where boldness must start in the selection room.
Sometimes you have to risk a bit to earn a bit.
It may not have changed the result but Australia could have done with an extra pace bowler (Scott Boland) at the SCG which would have meant slightly weakening the batting by promoting Alex Carey to six.
Batting the keeper at six is a move Australia have been loath to make for more than 100 years but it’s a concession that occasionally makes sense.
The selectors have had a fine summer and this is a smudge rather than a black mark but it was a timely reminder that if they are going to beat India they will need to be prepared to roll the dice.
India’s record of losing only one of its last 30 home series is staggering. Not only do India normally win home series they barely ever lose a Test these days.
In their last 15 series they have lost only two Tests — one against Australia — but this Australian team is good enough to give the series a mighty shake.
If Cameron Green is available the Test side all but picks itself.
But if his broken finger keeps him out of the early Tests Carey should go up to six and Australia should play five bowlers.
This Sydney Test — as so many Sydney Tests sadly are — was a mind-numbing affair. Rain and the flatness of the deck won — again.
Australia may at last have the team to beat India. Not because they have a snarling tiger but because they don’t.
Experienced journalist Bharat Sundaresan senses this Australian team has the right mindset to compete with India.
“It is actually a bonus for Australia that they are such a nice team,’’ Sundaresan said.
“India never lose when someone stirs them up at home. They are unbeatable when that happens but I can’t see anyone who would do that this time.’’
It’s true that when Australia was beaten 2-1 by India in 2017 they lost a series and a war, with Virat Kohli relishing his role as on and off-field antagonist in several spats with Steve Smith and Glenn Maxwell.
Even though Kolhi was batting badly he roused the crowds and his teammates to fever pitch.
Calm and relentless is the team motto under Pat Cummins and it will certainly help to ensure no-one pokes the bear in India.
Hopes were high that the SCG deck would be a replica of the spicy turners Australia may bump in to at venues like Nagpur.
But it never quite got there. Had it been a true five-day game it might have been different.
The greatest myth in Australian cricket is that Sydney is a true spinner’s deck. It may have been that way back in the 1980s but it’s not now.
Back in the 1970s spinners used to average 26 per Test wicket at the SCG and over the four decades the figure climbed to 31 then 35 and 39 and 50 between 2010 and 2020.
This summer, for all the bells and whistles, was nothing more than an entrée before the main course of India in India and England in England.
Australia has only won in India once since 1969 but this time it has a genuine chance.
Big Bash revival: And now for the real game changer
As Australia prepares to grinds South Africa to dust and despair a lopsided Test summer has left the game with plenty to think about.
The well-drilled and coolly captained Australia deserve all they get and this year’s Test tours of India and England promise to provide some of the greatest contests we’ve seen since the 2005 Ashes tour.
But before we move ahead, let’s spotlight areas the game can learn from such as …
THE DIM VIEW
Cricket must learn to put the fan first. The game just isn’t hard enough on itself.
Covers that don’t fully cover. Light metres that struggle to read artificial light. It’s embarrassing.
Allan Border often says there was not one time in his career when he went off for bad light that he could not have stayed on the ground and kept playing. Not much has changed.
It’s true pink balls must be developed for Test matches but let’s not make this a search for perfection. They won’t be as good as red balls but give them a whirl. The game is robbing its fans.
HELP …
As great as Australia has been it’s just alarming to see South Africa play so poorly.
The once great nation has committed to just 28 Tests in the next four years so they will get worse before they get better … if they ever do.
The Proteas are going the white ball T20 route looking for enough cash to bankroll their survival.
It’s sad. Test cricket needs to be more than Australia, England and India playing each other.
The game must do everything it can to help struggling Test nations stay competitive.
BIGGER AND BETTER
The Big Bash, after some poor years, is showing strong signs of a revival.
Crowds are up, ratings good, matches even and interest is high.
It’s time to reinforce that progress by having a clause in new Cricket Australia contracts insist players compete in it. That is the case in most player contracts from other nations.
SAY CHEESE
Major series such as the Australia-South Africa should have a perpetual trophy carrying a famous name.
It’s not good enough have the unnamed “Cheeseboard’’ presented to Pat Cummins after play on Sunday.
We like the thought of the McGrath-Donald Trophy after Glenn McGrath and Allan Donald who used to try and match each other’s milestones and became great mates.
NEW BATS
Australia simply slaughtered South Africa’s attack this summer but it must still remain vigilant for new Test batsmen.
Soon enough the exceptional trio Steve Smith, Usman Khawaja and David Warner will be gone and there are few standout options to replace them. Australia needs to think hard about which formats suit its best young players.
THE UGLY DUCKLING
Fifty over internationals have become the format which looks old and stale. Hopefully the 50 over World Cup in India next year will rejuvenate the game’s unloved middle son. But don’t bet on it.
Fans are not silly. They are sensing the players don’t care much for it and have caught this vibe.
MANKAD MANIA
The controversial bowlers end run out should be accepted as an orthodox dismissal without any stigma attached to it.
Batsmen have been warned time and again to stay in their ground until the ball is released. It’s not that hard. Just do it.
If they want to walk the high wire and take the chance of leaving their crease they deserve what they get.
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