Greg Chappell slams Australian think-tank for poor show

Greg Chappell

Former Australia captain Greg Chappell has slammed the current team think-tank for being 0-2 behind in their ongoing Test tour of India, pointing out that the visitors made blunders by not picking their best team and batters basing their game on only one shot.

"The Australian think-tank has made two major blunders: they didn't pick their best team and they based their batting attack on one shot. Spin is not our strength, so Pat Cummins and Scott Boland were the right choices, but they needed to bowl more," wrote Chappell in his column for The Sydney Morning Herald on Saturday.

He was also critical of the bowling changes made by Australia for the New Delhi Test, where they left out Boland to play three spinners, with Cummins bowling only 13 overs in the first innings and not bowling at all in the second essay. "Not picking Boland for the second Test and electing to go with a spinner not ready for
Test cricket was a fatal mistake. That Cummins under-bowled himself and failed to use the short ball on a wicket of variable bounce was another mistake. To complete the trifecta, it seems that no one saw fit to tell Cummins that he was under-bowling and that he should use the short ball.

Also Read: Australia punched themselves in mouth long before first ball was bowled: Greg Chappell

"The next mistake was the wholesale, indiscriminate and ridiculous use of the sweep shot. The sweep is a high-risk shot for all, but [for] those who play it naturally. Adding it to your repertoire in spinning conditions can be sensible, but not if it is the only option."

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