Ravi Shastri Attributes Indore Loss to Complacency

Australia mauled India by 9 wickets in the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar series in Indore riding on a Nathan Lyon masterclass.

With the victory, the touring Aussies cut the series deficit to 1-2 and also sealed their place in the finals of the ICC World Test Championships.

While many pointed to the nature of the pitch as the reason for the defeat at home, former Indian coach Ravi Shastri opined that India conceded the game due to complacency and overconfidence.

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“This is what a little complacency, a little bit of overconfidence can do where you take things for granted, you drop guard and this game will bring you down,” Shastri said.

“I think it was a combination of all these things when you actually cast your mind back to the first innings, see some of the shots played, see some of the over-eagerness to try and dominate in these conditions”, the former India head coach explained.

Shastri felt that the home team let their guard down after taking an unassailable 2-0 lead with their win in Delhi.

“You reflect back, take a step back or two to analyse,” Shastri added.

India were bowled out for a measly total of 109 in the first innings before Australia managed to score 197 in their time at the crease to establish an 88-run lead. India fared a little better in the second as the home team were cleaned out for 163, with Lyon picking up 8 wickets. The visitors then successfully chased down the 75-run target to wrap up the game before the end of the first session on Day 3 of the fixture.

Matthew Kuhnemann scalped five Indian wickets in the first innings in which Virat Kohli was the top scorer for India with 22 runs off his willow.

The Indian spinners troubled the Aussies with the ball, but Usman Khawaja’s steady half-ton propelled the visitors to the lead.

Lyon ran riot in the second innings as the only form of resistance to the Australian questions came in the form of Cheteshwar Pujara, who made a patient 59 off 142 deliveries before falling prey to Lyon.

Ashwin dismissed opener Khawaja early in the second innings, but Travis Head and Marnus Labuschange stood firm to see Australi through to pick up the famous win.

Australia and India will face off in the final game of the four-match Test series on the 9th of March at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

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