Melbourne [Australia], December 25: Ahead of the highly anticipated Boxing Day Test, former Indian all-rounder and head coach Ravi Shastri has described the Australian top-order as “brittle” and pointed out how India, particularly pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, has capitalized on this vulnerability to level the series 1-1 going into the fourth Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
Shastri expressed concerns over the underperforming Australian top-order, which includes seasoned players like Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith, and Marnus Labuschagne. He noted that these players have failed to put up big scores in the ongoing series, with Khawaja (63 runs in three Tests at an average of 12.60), Smith (124 runs at an average of 24.80), and Labuschagne (82 runs at an average of 16.40) not delivering the expected results.
“I think it has been pretty brittle,” Shastri told news.com.au. “When you look at this Australian line-up, it has been a long time since I’ve seen an Australian line-up where the top order is that brittle. India have exploited that and continue to exploit it.”
Shastri emphasized the role of Bumrah, who he believes has been instrumental in India’s position in the series. “India is 1-1 in the series and that man (Bumrah) has almost single-handedly got India into that position,” he added.
The Australian top-order’s struggles have extended beyond this series. Since their last ICC World Test Championship win in June 2023, Khawaja, Smith, and Labuschagne have all seen underwhelming performances. Notably, Khawaja has experienced a significant decline in his batting average, particularly in 2024, with only 337 runs in eight Tests at an average of 24.07.
On a positive note, Travis Head (1,040 runs in 15 Tests) and Mitchell Marsh (819 runs in 13 Tests) have maintained solid batting averages in the late 30s, offering some stability to the Australian batting line-up.
Regarding Sam Konstas, who will open with Khawaja in the upcoming Test, Shastri praised the young player’s flamboyant style, calling him “refreshing.” “Konstas has flair and flamboyance, but Test cricket is Test cricket. His technique will tighten up, and I believe he will be the future for Australia,” Shastri said.
Konstas has shown impressive form, contributing to Australia’s ICC U19 World Cup triumph and scoring consistently in the Sheffield Shield. He is currently the fifth-highest run-scorer in the ongoing season with 471 runs at an average of 58.87, including two centuries.
Shastri also remarked on Nathan McSweeney’s exclusion from the squad, calling it “unfortunate.” Despite his struggles in the series (72 runs in three Tests at an average of 14.40), Shastri believes McSweeney has the potential to rebuild his career, possibly during Australia’s tour to Sri Lanka in 2024.
“I thought McSweeney did the hard yards, but he is a middle-order batsman. I see him travelling to Sri Lanka and rebuilding his career from there,” Shastri concluded.
Australia XI for the fourth Test: Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland.
India’s squad for the fourth and fifth Tests: Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Mohd. Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Devdutt Padikkal, Tanush Kotian.