“Your mind was not on the match but only on the pitch”

Irfan Pathan feels Australia suffered a crushing defeat in the first Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test because their focus was on the pitch rather than the game.

India defeated Pat Cummins’s side by one innings and 132 runs in the series opener in Nagpur. The visitors’ batting was found particularly lacking, as they were bowled out for 177 and 91 in their two innings.

During a discussion on Star Sports, Pathan was asked about his opinion on Australia’s one-sided defeat, to which he replied:

“It was one-sided even when you won the toss and batted first. It means the conditions were extremely favorable for you as an Australian team. But you couldn’t take advantage of the good conditions because you weren’t prepared at all. Your mind was not on the match but on the field”.

Pathan acknowledges that the visitors were looking for excuses for the impending loss rather than trying to win the game, stating:

“Your mind was not on winning, but probably on the excuse. So you were never in the game, from day one. You performed poorly in the first inning and even worse in the second.”

What a performance from Team India.
Australia seemed to have lost the natch before it started with too much emphasis on the pitch. India batted ably which is what Test cricket demands and scored 400, Australia were playing a different wicket in their minds. well done guys

What a performance from Team India. Australia seemed to have lost the natch before it started with too much emphasis on the course. India batted ably which is what Test cricket demands and scored 400, Australia were playing a different wicket in their minds. well done guys https://t.co/yYySfXh8lb

Neither Australian batsman scored a half century in their two innings. While Rohit Sharma scored a century for the hosts, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel contributed 70 and 84 runs respectively.

“I don’t remember any Australian team coming to India and giving up like that” – Irfan Pathan

Pathan noted that it was a tame display from the Australian batsmen, explaining:

“They completely gave up. I don’t remember any Australian team coming to India and giving up like that. It’s a fighting team, they are aggressive players, but the aggression was not seen at all. If you don’t show the intention to put pressure on our players bowling, you can’t possibly come back.”

Pathan feels the Aussies might have to include Mitchell Starc, if he is fit and available, in their playing XI for the next game, but added that his batting is a bigger concern, noting:

“If they have a chance to come back in this series, their guys are going to have to perform a lot better and fight. They’re going to have to bring Starc back, but the way they’ve hit, you can’t win the series with this hitting.”

Australia surprisingly left out travis head of his XI for the first Test. The left-handed batsman, who can also bowl a few useful spins, could replace Matt Renshaw in the upcoming Test in Delhi.

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