3 Areas India Should Improve In 3rd Test vs Australia: After winning the first BGT 2024-25 Test in Perth by a huge margin of 295 runs, the Indian cricket team lost by a huge margin of 10 wickets in Adelaide. The series now stands level at 1-1 with the teams heading to Brisbane.
The AUS vs IND 3rd Test will be played at the Gabba from December 14. On their 2020/21 tour, India recorded a famous win at the Gabba to seal the series on its last day. Rohit Sharma was part of the side that breached Australia’s fortress Gabba in 2021.
Winning in Brisbane is critical for India’s chances of reaching the ICC WTC 2025 final. As they prepare for the 3rd Test, India need to improve a few areas as they aim to bounce back after the loss in Adelaide.
BGT 2024-25: 3 Areas India Should Improve In 3rd Test vs Australia At Gabba, Brisbane
First innings performance
India have been batting dismally in their first innings in Test cricket in recent times. In Perth, they were bowled out for 150 and in Adelaide for 180 in their first innings. While in Perth, they batted brilliantly in their second innings but couldn’t repeat such performance in Adelaide.
Earlier in the home season, they recorded first innings scores of 46 vs New Zealand in Bengaluru, 156 vs New Zealand in Pune, and 263 against the same opposition in Mumbai.
India need to post a 300-plus total in their first innings to set up the match in the Gabba Test and provide the bowlers with some cushion to bowl attacking lengths.
Attack Travis Head with short balls.
Travis Head continues to haunt the Indian fans. After his centuries in the ICC WTC 2023 final and the World Cup 2023 final, the left-hander smashed a fifty during their encounter in the T20 World Cup 2024. He continued his love affair with the Indian team by blasting 89 in Perth and 140 in Adelaide.
In all these innings, Indian pacers failed to attack Head relentlessly with short balls. Head has one prominent weakness against short balls. But for unknown and unexplained reasons, the Indian bowlers have not hurled a bouncer barrage at the left-hander.
With the Gabba providing a fast and bouncy surface, India should look to exploit this weakness of their chief nemesis since last year.
Rohit Sharma should be more attacking in captaincy.
Rohit Sharma’s captaincy in crucial moments during a match in any format for India has been observed to be defensive. As runs start to flow, Rohit opts for defensive fields, placing more fielders at the boundary line than he should. This allows for the batters to take easy singles and twos.
Even if a batter has settled down, Sharma needs to keep attacking him with fielders near him, especially in the slips.
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