close_game
close_game

‘India can’t let one bad innings define their tour’: Former Australia captain backs India to stage comeback in Boxing Day Test

Hindustan Times | Byhindustantimes.com
Dec 25, 2020 06:12 PM IST

Taylor, who captained Australia to the final of the 1996 ICC World Cup, is one of only four men to have led the Aussies in 50 or more Test matches. He feels India’s bowlers have it in them to pick wickets but need the batsmen to put up big runs on the board.

While many of his former colleagues have written off the touring Indian team’s chances of staging a comeback in the Test series after their demoralising loss in Adelaide, former Australian captain Mark Taylor though isn’t ready to take the embattled Team India lightly, citing the presence of seasoned campaigners like Pujara and Rahane to suggest they could still find a way back in the series.

Former Australian cricket captain Mark Taylor.(AFP)
Former Australian cricket captain Mark Taylor.(AFP)

“India’s best chance is to put runs on the board. They’ve still got some very fine players. Obviously (Virat) Kohli leaves a big hole in terms of batting and leadership, but they’ve still got (Cheteshwar) Pujara and (Ajinkya) Rahane,” Taylor told ‘Wide World of Sports’.

ALSO READ: Twitter on fire after India make four changes, hand debuts to Shubman Gill and Mohammed Siraj for Boxing Day Test

Taylor, who captained Australia to the final of the 1996 ICC World Cup, is one of only four men to have led the Aussies in 50 or more Test matches. He feels India’s bowlers have it in them to pick wickets but need the batsmen to put up big runs on the board.

“If they put runs on the board, they’ve got the bowling attack to take 10 wickets. If India have runs to play with, their bowlers can do the job.”

Just like Indian captain Virat Kohli and his stand-in Ajinkya Rahane had said earlier, Taylor too believes India were done in by just one hour of poor cricket in Adelaide and he believes the key for them would be to bounce back on the first day at MCG.

ALSO READ: ‘Ashwin has suffered not for his bowling but for speaking his mind out at meetings where others just nod’: Sunil Gavaskar

“India can’t let one bad innings define their tour. If you put the Adelaide match into perspective, they probably won the first two days. Obviously, they got belted on the third, but you’re allowed to have one bad day. The key will be to see how they bounce back.

“I think day one in Melbourne is absolutely crucial for India’s chances in the series,” he added.

Taylor opined that India will miss Kohli’s leadership as drives the team with his infectious energy and that is something Rahane will have to be conscious of.

“I think it’s certainly going to be tougher for them to bounce back without Kohli, obviously they’ve lost an outstanding batsman. But the bigger hole to fill is his leadership, and the drive he gives the side,” he said.

“That will be the area that Rahane and the team management will have to be conscious of, and I’m sure they will be.

“They’ll have been working hard, firstly to put Adelaide behind them, and secondly to make sure they hit the ground running on Boxing Day,” Taylor added.

Orange Cap in IPL 2025, Purple Cap in IPL 2025 , and IPL Points Table 2025 – stay ahead with real-time match updates, team standings, and insights. Check live cricket score , player stats, and ICC rankings of top players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli . Get expert analysis, IPL match previews, and in-depth coverage of IPL 2025 and IPL Match Today along with KKR vs CSK Live on HT Crickit, powered by Hindustan Times – your trusted source for cricket news.
Orange Cap in IPL 2025, Purple Cap in IPL 2025 , and IPL Points Table 2025 – stay ahead with real-time match updates, team standings, and insights. Check live cricket score , player stats, and ICC rankings of top players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli . Get expert analysis, IPL match previews, and in-depth coverage of IPL 2025 and IPL Match Today along with KKR vs CSK Live on HT Crickit, powered by Hindustan Times – your trusted source for cricket news.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Friday, May 09, 2025
Follow Us On