'Not too many times that you lose to a second or third choice side': Shane Warne predicts 'huge fallout' for Australia
Australia spin bowling legend Shane Warne predicted a 'huge fallout' in Australian cricket following the shocking defeat in the Brisbane Test against India. It was the first time in 32 years that Australia have lost a Test match in Gabba, and it came at the hands of an inexperienced Indian team.
Skipper Virat Kohli had returned home after the first Test for the birth of his first child, and Ajinkya Rahane was leading the team. If that is not all, India had significant absentees in the squad for the fourth Test due to injuries, including Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Hanuma Vihari, and R Ashwin.
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Mohammed Siraj with three-Test experience was leading the bowling attack for India at Gabba. Shardul Thakur and Navdeep Saini with two Tests experience were the other two bowlers along with debutants T Natarajan and Washington Sundar. And yet, somehow, India went on to beat Australia by 3 wickets to claim the series 2-1.
"I think there'll be a huge fallout from this (defeat). There's not too many times that you lose to the second or third (choice) side," Warne was quoted as saying by Fox Cricket.
"Their (Australia) tactics will come into question, and they have to. Bowlers will come into question, people's spot in the team will come into question. It has to. You can’t just deflect it and flick it off and say India were too good for us," he added.
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"That's not taking anything away from those Indian guys that played but their first selection side, there's probably only two or three players in that side who would play," Warne further said.
"Yes they were, but Australia had so many chances in this series to bury it and crush India, but they couldn't do it. They just couldn't do it," he said.
Warne further questioned Tim Paine's approach in the series and said his tactics were not good enough.
"I think at times their tactics haven't been good enough, and I suppose that's got to come down to Tim Paine as captain," he said.
"It's not just Tim Paine’s fault, the bowlers are allowed to say 'Tim I want to do this', so it’s a combination between the bowlers and the captain. But at the end of the day, you are captain, you have to take responsibility. He'll be disappointed," Warne signed off.