After the phenomenal victory reported by the Aussies over Indians in the first game of the 4-match Test series, former and veteran Australian bowler Jason Gillespie has suggested that for the upcoming game, Glenn Maxwell should be given chance thereby reframing their winning strategies.
Gillespie suggested that Glenn Maxwell’s inclusion in place of Mitchell Marsh will benefit the squad as Maxwell’s ability to cut the opponents with both bat and bowl will help balance the team. He opined that Mitchell Marsh is doing well with the bat but his bowling skills are not suitable for Indian conditions.
While speaking to a sports radio channel, Gillespie said,”I think they might not alter the side. According to me, only one guy is under pressure to keep his spot will be Mitchell Marsh, who didn’t bowl in the Test and is the back-up for the seamers.”
“I think Mitch will remain as he scored 31 in the second innings in a low-scoring game so he’s probably done enough, just, to hang on. But if they feel they can get away with two seamers, I’d be tempted to potentially play someone like Maxwell. The reason I say that is he judges length very quickly and that’s the key to batting. And I think on these surfaces he could be quite fearless and take the attack to the Indian spinners,” Gillespie added.
In the first test between India and Australia held at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune, India lost the game by 333 runs to Australia and the match ended on the third day itself. With this defeat, Voyage of team India of winning 19 continuous Test games in a row has come to an end.
The man who shredded the Indian batting line-up into pieces from right, left, and centre within the blink of an eye and finally helped the Aussies to register a win against India in Pune, facing Steve O’Keefe would not be less than a nightmare for the Indian men in the upcoming games.
O’Keefe not only took 12 wickets in the opening match but helped the most in wrapping up the 5-day play 2 days before and ended up with getting the Man of the match award. With this victory, Australia could successfully defeat India at their home after 7 long years.
