Former India cricketer Robin Uthappa has advised the Australian batters to emulate and Ajinkya Rahane during the fifth Test against England at the (SCG).
Australia suffered a close defeat at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) after being bowled out for 152 and 132 respectively.
The batting collapse led to massive outrage, with Uthappa suggesting the Australians to show the patience of Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara. Both Indian cricketers were instrumental in India’s twin series wins in Australia in 2018/19 and 2020/21, grinding it hard on challenging wickets.
“See, it’s a dichotomous situation. It’s not like it’s an impossible wicket. There are such wickets in Melbourne which are very juicy for fast bowlers. I think it’s because of the way cricket is played today. I feel like these pitches are unsporting, but if you have the right technique, the right mindset and the fight in you, you’ll be able to figure out a solution for this kind of wicket as well. It’s not a high-scoring game. It won’t be a 300-plus game, but even a 250 on this wicket is possible. You’ve got to fight it out. Play it like Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane. Definitely, you’ll score runs,” Uthappa said on his YouTube channel.
‘What Are We Doing To Sport For Entertainment’ – Uthappa Slams 2-Day Finishes
Uthappa further questioned Joe Root, the cornerstone of England’s batting, for looking clueless in Australia. He added that two-day Test matches in a marquee series like Ashes are not great for the game.
“I am saying this with a grain of salt because the way we’re playing Test cricket has now changed. I don’t enjoy it a lot, like Ashes Test matches that finish in two days. What are we doing to the sport for entertainment? Joe Root too was lost in that Test match. He didn’t know whether to play attacking cricket or play his own way in the second innings. It was quite unfortunate. I empathise with them,” he said.
The SCG wicket was traditionally good for batting, but the recent games suggest that the pitch has turned into a bowlers’ surface. The last Test played at the venue was the Border-Gavaskar Test between India and Australia, and no team managed to cross the 200-run mark across four innings. Ahead of the fifth Test, images of a green surface went viral, raising concerns about whether the SCG Test will also be heavily dominated by the bowlers.