On the second day of the third test match against Australia in Brisbane, Ravi Shastri expressed concerns regarding the erraticness of India’s bowling attack. Among all the bowlers, with Jasprit Bumrah being their only shining star, taking quite a few wickets, all other Indian bowlers struggled on a day when Travis Head and Steve Smith ran riot. With 405 for the loss of seven wickets, former Indian head coach Shastri had to see how poorly some of them performed. Shastri said that consistency is extremely important for Indian bowlers when playing here in Australia and added, other than Bumrah, that has “done things right”.
“They’re just giving aways runs on both sides,” he said during an interview with SEN Radio. “Bumrah has done most things right, but I think when you look at the others you think, ‘Can they execute?'”
Thus, Australia ends the day at a comfortable 405-7 at the close of day two with the third Test against India after a commendable stand between Travis Head and Steve Smith for the fourth wicket.
Head scored a thunderous 152 and Smith a hard-fattend 101 at the Gabba in Brisbane, putting Australia quite well into position to go up 2-1 in the five-Test series.
India has nearly zero chances to win the match – a miracle could somehow still save them – due to constant predictions of rainfall over the next three days.
India got off to a positive start on the first day with three wickets in the first hour after having had 13.2 overs of that day’s play washed out on Saturday.
But Head and Smith batted India out of the game despite a superb spell from pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah (5-72) after tea with the second new ball.
“The way he can put the bowlers under pressure from the outset is incredible,” Smith said of Head, who smacked a sparkling 140 in a big Australia win in the second Test.
“It’s nice to get into a partnership with him. The scoreboard moves so quickly.”
By the close of play, Alex Carey was on 45 and Mitchell Starc on seven.