Brisbane [Australia], December 17 (ANI): Australia assistant coach Daniel Vettori on Tuesday showered praise on pacer Josh Hazlewood and called him “one of the best bowlers in the world.”
Australia’s bid for Test series victory against India had taken a blow with experienced seamer Hazlewood likely to miss the rest of the prestigious Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) series with a calf injury, according to Cricket Australia.
Hazlewood bowled just one over during the first session on Tuesday after reporting a calf issue in the warm-up, before being taken from the field due for further assessments, as per ICC.
It was a day of a fightback for Team India in the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Facing the challenge of avoiding a follow-on and a potential innings defeat, half-centuries from KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja, along with a 39-run stand between Jasprit Bumrah and Akash Deep, helped India finish day four at 252/9, trailing by 193 runs.
Speaking at the press conference after the day’s play, Vettori said that currently, Hazlewood is low in spirit and it affects the team.
“He’s just pretty despondent, obviously failed it this morning in warm-ups and gave it a good crack, but yeah, it’s just unfortunate for him to, I suppose, come back and put so much effort in after another injury with a side strain from the last test and then to pick up a calf injury here, particularly in these circumstances, was tough on him. Well, I think he’s one of the best bowlers in the world, so it affects the team,” Vettori said.
The 33-year-old had only just returned from a side issue that forced him to miss Australia’s 10-wicket victory in Adelaide, with fellow pacer Scott Boland making way for the crucial third Test of the series at the Gabba as both teams press for a place in next year’s ICC World Test Championship final.
In the first Test at Perth, Hazlewood had taken five wickets, including a four-wicket haul in the first innings. Boland will likely take Hazlewood’s spot in Australia’s playing eleven for the fourth Test, held at the MCG.
Talking about Scott Boland, Australia’s assistant coach hailed the 35-year-old’s performance in the Adelaide Test.
“Boland speaks for himself. The way he bowled in Adelaide, the way that he’s consistently been the backup seamer and every single time he’s been asked to step up, particularly in Australia, he’s been outstanding, so I think that would be the logical thing to conclude,” he added.
In the match, India opted to field first after winning the toss. Day one saw a wicketless 13 overs, but on day two, India struck back, dismissing Usman Khawaja (21), Nathan McSweeney (9), and Marnus Labuschagne (12), reducing Australia to 75/3.
However, a 241-run partnership between Steve Smith (101 off 190 balls, 10 fours) and Travis Head (152 off 160 balls, 18 fours) turned the tide in Australia’s favour. Jasprit Bumrah (5/72) eventually broke the stand, sparking a mini-collapse, but Australia still ended day two strongly at 405/7, with Alex Carey (45*) and Mitchell Starc (7*) unbeaten.
On day three, Carey’s 70 (88 balls, seven fours, two sixes) and Starc’s 18 guided Australia to 445 all out in 117.1 overs. Bumrah was India’s standout bowler, finishing with figures of 6/76, while Siraj took two wickets, and Nitish Kumar Reddy and Akash Deep chipped in with one each.
India’s first innings began poorly, with Yashasvi Jaiswal (4), Shubman Gill (1), Virat Kohli (3), and Rishabh Pant (9) falling cheaply. However, KL Rahul held firm, finishing day three unbeaten on 33 off 64 balls.
On day four, India showed resilience. Rahul’s 84 (139 balls, eight fours) and Jadeja’s 77 (123 balls, seven fours and one six), combined with contributions from Akash Deep (27* off 31 balls, two fours and a six) and Jasprit Bumrah (10* off 27 balls, with a six), helped India avoid the follow-on, ending the day at 252/9.
With the series tied at 1-1 and two matches remaining, Australia hold the edge in the contest. (ANI)
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