Former Australian cricket captains Allan Border and Michael Clarke on Monday denounced the team’s batting performance against India, calling the second innings collapse “panicky” and ill-executed. Spin bowler Ravindra Jadeja took 7-42 as he tore through Australia’s batting in the second Test in Delhi on Sunday to enable India to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the four-match series.

Australia repeatedly emp­loyed cross-bat sweep shots on a turning Dehli wicket and paid the price as they tumbled to 113 all out in their second innings. “I’m disappointed, I’m shell-shocked and angry about the way we went about our work,” Border. “It was a panicky, frenetic sort of batting,” said Border.

Australian captain Pat Cummins said the post-match team review would look at why his players kept employing the sweep, accelerating their collapse. Cummins was among Jadeja’s victims as four Australian wickets fell for no runs with the score on 95.

Set 115 to win, India cruised to a six-wicket win in less than 27 overs. “They were all getting out playing sweep shots, reverse sweeps and playing just about every ball,” said Border, 67. “No one got in there and tried to stem the flow with just some good defensive cricket,” he said.“You just can’t get away with it on that sort of track.”

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-INP