IND Vs AUS 4th Test : Sunil Gavaskar slams India’s tactics and performance on Day 1!

Sunil Gavaskar was unapologetic after Rohit Sharma’s gamble against Australia on the first day of the fourth Test match at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad failed to pay off. Gavaskar, who is never afraid to express his opinions, was unimpressed with the Indian bowlers’ performance with the new ball on Day 1 of the series-deciding match between the top-ranked teams.

On Day 1 of the 4th Test against Australia, India chose to bat first by taking the new ball, quickly following paceman Mohammed Shami’s crucial dismissal of Peter Handscomb. The new ball proved to be a double-edged sword on the Ahmedabad pitch, as former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar correctly noted.

Star batters Usman Khawaja and Cameron Green ultimately gave Australia the advantage over India on the opening day, preventing Team India from taking a single wicket after receiving the new ball. After the day’s play was over, batting legend Gavaskar reflected on India’s performance and noted that Australia revived its innings after India chose the second new ball.

Opening batter Khawaja blasted his first Test ten against India to snap his century drought and win the series. Steve Smith’s Australia scored 255/4 in 90 overs with the opener still unbeaten on 104 off 251 balls. Green, a middle-order batter, played a quick-fire knock of 49 off 64 balls to speed up the Australian innings.

“The conversation in the dressing room would be probably, I think it’s best to have a conversation after a little while not straight away. Because they will be very disappointed with their efforts in the last hour. Particularly after having taken the second new ball, to concede the number of runs they did, and the number of boundaries they did.

“It was almost as if the Australians broke free when the second new ball was taken. The first couple of overs we saw from our new ball bowlers. That’s not what you want to see when you got a brand new ball in your hand, the effort could have been better.”