Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 6 (ANI): Former Indian head coach and all-rounder Ravi Shastri said that pacer Josh Hazlewood’s absence from the pink-ball, day-night second Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India at Adelaide would give the visitors a big advantage, given how much “control” he provides them, reported the ICC reviews
As Aussies take to the field for the second Test, they would not only feel shaken by the 295-run loss at Perth in the first Test, but also the absence of Hazlewood, which would deplete the world’s most iconic and consistent bowling quartet of skipper Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and spinner Nathan Lyon big time. Hazlewood, who is nursing a side strain, picked up when collecting five wickets for the match in the first Test, which also included a four-wicket haul in the first innings that bundled out India for just 150 runs.
Scott Boland won the race to replace Hazlewood in Australia’s playing XI in Adelaide, but Shastri thinks the absence of the consistent right-armer will be felt by the Aussies during the pink-ball clash.
“Hazlewood’s absence is massive,” Shastri said on the latest episode of ICC Review.
“Massive because he gives them (Australia) great control.”
“I mean he was so frugal even in that Test match in Perth. He had bowled at one stage, I think 18 overs for 25 (runs) or something of that sort. You know that’s the kind of control that is needed in Adelaide, especially with a pink ball,” he concluded his point.
Shastri’s thoughts on Hazlewood are supported by his recent efforts in day-night Tests, with the 33-year-old collecting five wickets for just eight runs when India was humbled for just 36 against the pink-ball during the second innings of their most recent tour Down Under back in 2020.
Hazlewood also picked up five wickets for the match during Australia most recent home Test under the lights against the West Indies at the Gabba at the start of this year and Shastri thinks the right-armer could have been a major factor with similar conditions in Adelaide.
“If it is seaming around, under lights, tactics change, teams bat first, sometimes declare with one hour to go to make the most of the pink ball,” Shastri noted.
“That’s when he (Hazlewood) becomes most dangerous because he is there, thereabouts all the time and he will test you.”
“No matter how good a player you are, you got to know where your off-stump is when you are playing Hazlewood,” he signed off.
Aussies would be hoping that Boland, who has seven wickets in two-pink ball matches at an average of 13.71, comes good for them at Adelaide and replicates his heroics of the ICC World Test Championship final against India, where he took five wickets in total, including prized scalp of Virat Kohli.
Australia squad (for second Test): Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey (wk), Brendan Doggett, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Nathan McSweeney, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster
India squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Devdutt Padikkal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar. Reserves: Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed, Yash Dayal. (ANI)
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