Last Updated on 6 years by Charbel Coorey
Australia vs India 3rd Test Player Ratings
Forget Rishabh Pant. Can Tim Paine offer a babysitting job to a few of his teammates?
Australia’s top order yet again flopped, displaying technique and temperament so off point that flipping the batting line up might actually work out better. They can learn a thing or two from Pat Cummins, but the silver lining from Australia’s defeat, as well as Arsenal’s thrashing at the hands of Liverpool, is that there are great meme opportunities.
Congratulations to India for retaining the Border Gavaskar Trophy. Their first innings batting came under nearly as much scrutiny from Ricky Ponting as Kerry O’Keeffe’s commentary from cricket fans, but they ensured Australia didn’t bat when the pitch was at its absolute best. Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli ground the Aussies down really well, and the excellent bowling attack showed why its considered one of the most improved in the world.
Didn’t expect the rubbish Daily Telegraph to know that.
In this article, each player will be rated out of ten. As always, feel free to leave a comment!
Australia:
Kerry O’Keeffe: Thought it was a decent idea to laugh at India’s First Class competition when Australia have Mitchell Marsh batting at six. Also had a laugh about Indian names as he couldn’t pronounce Cheteshwar and Jadeja. If he’s so knowledgeable as a pundit, he better show it! 0
Marcus Harris: Not sure what was worse – Harris’ second innings shot or the fact that Mark Waugh thought he was unlucky. Pushing out in front with hard hands against a turning ball is loose technique, not bad luck. 3
Aaron Finch: We understand how India fans felt when KL Rahul and Murali Vijay walked out to bat. Looks out of his depth as Test opener does Finch. Will he succeed at number six with the ball turning and reversing? Not sure. Front pad as big as Shane Watson’s. 1
Usman Khawaja: Usman Khawaja was supposed to top the run scoring charts and lead Australia to victory. Where is he? 4
Shaun Marsh: Repeat of second Test rating. Death. Taxes. Shaun Marsh doing just enough to keep his spot. Victim of a superb slower ball by Jasprit Bumrah that would have had all viewers oohing and aahing at its beauty. 5
Travis Head: Not sure if any motorsport companies will be looking at Travis Head. Just can’t seem to get past start. Second innings dismissal in particular as a result of technique. Driving away from the body, no footwork and head not over the ball. 4
Mitchell Marsh: Everyone deserves a 437578th chance. Australian fans have about as much faith in Mitch Marsh as Virat Kohli has in his lower order. His second innings shot showed why. How long do Australia keep persisting with him? Fair effort with the ball on day one, but that’s about it. 2
Tim Paine: It is time Paine asks some of his top order to babysit full time. Here is lovely poem for the Australian captain that Rishabh Pant could use for Sydney:
“Excellent with his words, gave us a laugh, but like his teammates couldn’t get past start.” 4
Patrick Cummins: Absolutely outstanding. Australia’s standout performer by an absolute mile. Never stopped trying. Each one of his teammates should thank him for his effort and learn from it. Bat and ball. 10
Mitchell Starc: When discussing the best bowling attack in the world, can we say the best is one that includes a misfiring Mitchell Starc? Not swinging the new ball like we know he can. No, it’s nothing to do with sandpaper, but rather, wrist position. It’s the new ball. 3
Nathan Lyon: Nathan Lyon’s most quiet Test of the series to date. 1/150. Toiled hard to keep an end tight. 3.5
Josh Hazlewood: His MCG record didn’t improve much. Still not quite at his best. 4
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India:
Ravi Shastri: Dropped KL Rahul, Murali Vijay and Umesh Yadav. Ravi got a 10 from me in Perth. Here, a big zero! 0
Hanuma Vihari: Bounced out by Pat Cummins twice. Vihari has potential, but he needs to improve against the short ball if he wants to be successful in all conditions. 2
Mayank Agarwal: Superb debut from a talented player. Some absolutely brilliant catching, too. Not bad from someone who made a triple hundred against a bunch of “canteen staff”. Time for Australia to focus more on commentary quality. 8
Cheteshwar Pujara: First innings hundred that ground Australia into the dirt. Patience is his middle name. Out for a second innings duck, but the game was won by then. 9
Virat Kohli: Back soreness for the Indian captain, but ended his magnificent 2018 as captain of India’s first ever victory in a Boxing Day Test in Australia. Excellent patience for his 82. Like Pujara, was out for a second innings duck, but the result was set in stone. 8
Ajinkya Rahane: Needs runs in Sydney to keep his place assured. For me, he is doing just enough to keep his place in the team. Like Shaun Marsh for Australia. 4
Rohit Sharma: Hurt Australia at a key stage in the first innings, getting India over 400. Good contribution. Hitman fans happy everywhere. 7
Rishabh Pant: Tim Paine was always going to get some back. Pant was on fire behind the stumps, but not so much with the gloves, with a few chances going down. With two 30s and three dismissals, it was a decent outing. 6.5
Ravindra Jadeja: Showed why India missed him in Perth. Wasn’t at his best in the second innings, but always asked enough questions by keeping things simple. Bowling into the rough. Does he get ahead of Ashwin if India play one spinner in Sydney? 7
Mohammed Shami: Part of the excellent India pace trio. Asked questions right throughout the Test, with the highlight his second innings ball to Usman Khawaja. “Ricky Ponting was hurting after that one”, said Shami after the Test (not quite). 7
Ishant Sharma: “Worst seamer to tour Australia” is what the media carried on about before the series. For anyone with any cricket knowledge, his improvement over the last two years is there to see. 7
Jasprit Bumrah: What an addition to India’s side. Absolutely outstanding. Nine wickets in the Test, pipping an awesome Pat Cummins to the man of the match award. Deservedly so. Opened the game right up for India on the third day with the best ever figures for an Indian at the MCG. The slower ball to get Shaun Marsh was a thing of beauty. Absolutely relentless. 10
Congratulations India on a very strong performance in the Boxing Day Test.
It is their first win ever in a Boxing Day Test in Australia, it was well deserved. The Border Gavaskar Trophy stays with India, but now attention turns to whether they can win their first Test series down under.
They look odds on favourites to, unless Australia can pull something out of the hat.
Thanks for reading!
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Australia vs India 3rd Test Player Ratings
