Former Australia batsman Michael Hussey on Friday said that conditions for the third Test in Melbourne will be a lot different from those in Perth and India should consider drafting in all-rounder Hardik Pandya to bring balance to its attack.
The MCG pitch had come under sharp focus after it hosted a drab draw against England during last year’s Ashes and the ground received a warning from the ICC.
“Conditions in Perth were quite unique and in Melbourne conditions will be totally different. I thought the Indian fast bowling unit has bowled beautifully in this series. They bowled a lot of overs in Adelaide and Perth in hot conditions, but had to work hard (for Australian wickets).
“He (Pandya) is a bit like Mitchell Marsh when he is in form. You get an extra bowling option that can take a little load away from the pacers particularly as the four-match series wears on. So this (bowling all-rounder) is something for both sides to look at,” Hussey told PTI.
Backs strategy
Hussey said that India missed R. Ashwin in Perth while Nathan Lyon bowled his side to victory, but also added that the four-pacer strategy was not totally wrong given the state of the pitch pre-match. Instead, he credited Australia for making good use of the best batting conditions on day one.
“Looking at the conditions, you cannot really say anything against it (four pacers). At the start, you just thought there was plenty in it for the pacers and there were lots of cracks.
“I just think it was a good toss to win and in the first innings, on day one, the pitch played at its best and enabled Australia to get a decent first innings score. Then, we saw that the score came down as the match went on.”
Hussey also said that Indian batting was imbalanced with too many tail-enders, and the poor form of their openers was starting to show in contrast with what the Australian openers were able to achieve.
More responsibility
He said if the if poor starts of the openers continue, then Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane need to take on more responsibility to balance the reliance on Virat Kohli.
“Both the Indian openers are fine players, but they are obviously not getting going. Sometimes it happens and things are not just going your way,” he said.
Asked if India were relying too much on the performance of Kohli, Hussey said, “Kohli is the best player in the world, so India do rely on him and that is not wrong. For Australia, when Steve Smith and David Warner were playing, there was a heavy reliance (on them).
“For India, Pujara was outstanding in Adelaide, and Rahane is looking good in patches. You always rely on your best batsmen, but in this second Test, with that extra fast bowler the Indian tail was too long and it upset the batting balance,” he said.
