Sunil Gavaskar has claimed that Australia’s Test squad is in panic mode, fueling rumors that ‘rifts’ have opened within the squad, following Josh Hazlewood’s eyebrow-raising press conference last week.
While featuring in Pat Cummin’s Test side, the Indian Test cricket legend also took aim at the Australian media, rather bizarrely labeling both print and online publications as ‘scaremongers’.
Much ado has been made about what Australia need to do to bounce back from their 295-run thumping against India in Perth last week – a match that Gavaskar said “could be ranked among the top 10 wins in recent times”.
The pressure is mounting on their top-order batters, with Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith and Usman Khawaja all coming under fire after their performances in the first Test.
Gavaskar, meanwhile, says he ‘fondly’ watches the Aussies flap as they try to come back from 1-0 down in the series in Adelaide.
“All the boasting about how the (Perth) pitch will be fast, springy and scare the Indian batsmen was just that: the boasting of a bully,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for the Indian Sportstar.
In an explosive column online, Sunil Gavaskar has branded the Australian media as ‘scaremongers’ and claimed Pat Cummins’ side is in panic.
Pat Cummins’ side suffered a 295-run defeat to India in their opening Test match in Perth last week
Jasprit Bumrah starred with ball in hand, taking eight wickets over two innings as India’s batters swept Australia away on day three, creating a 522-run lead at the end of the match.
“Mind you, it wasn’t the Australian players, but their support staff in the media, both electronic and print, who were trying to be scaremongers.”
Last week, Hazlewood sent some Australian cricket fans into an uproar, following his comments at a press conference that seemed to imply a rift had developed in the home side’s dressing room.
The 33-year-old, meanwhile, does not plan to feature in the second Test in Adelaide as the Seamer has suffered a ‘low-grade left side injury’ – something Gavaskar took particular interest in.
‘The panic in the Australian ranks is palpable, with former players calling for heads to be chopped off and some even pointing to cracks in the Australian team following Josh Hazlewood’s media interview at the end of matchday three, where he suggested that it was up to the batsmen to do something now,” added Gavaskar, who played 125 Tests for India.
‘Now, a few days later, Hazlewood is out of the second Test and possibly out of the series due to an alleged side strain. Strange, because no one had noticed anything about Hazlewood at that media conference.
“Mystery, mystery, something that has been common in Indian cricket in the past.
“Now it’s the Aussies, and like old McDonald, I just love it.”
Cummins, Travis Head and Andrew McDonald have all denied any indication that there could be a rift in the Australian dressing rooms.
Gavaskar also elaborated on the recent furor surrounding Josh Hazlewood’s comments, which implied there was division in the Aussie camp.
Hazlewood was asked how Australia planned to overcome their huge deficit in the first Test, before saying: ‘You’ll have to ask the batters that question’
Adam Gilchrist (left) claimed Hazlewood’s statement made it seem like there was a ‘divisiveness’ in the Australian dressing room
Gavaskar would go on to praise Jasprit Bumrah, who took eight wickets in both innings and claimed that even some of the greatest batters in the world would have come up against the Indian captain.
He also praised Yashasvi Jaiswal, who scored a sensational 161 during India’s second innings, alongside Virat Kohli’s century, to set England a huge target of 522 runs on day three.
Despite letting the game pass them by on day three when Australia’s bowlers struggled to find wickets, Travis Head has claimed it would be foolish to write off the hosts in Adelaide even after their dismal defeat in Perth .
“This team has handled adversity well,” he said.
“With the small numbers we’ve had over the last three or four years, we’ve played well.
“We had some challenging times and some challenging tests last year that we managed to get ourselves out of. It is a group that is well balanced and knows where it stands.
‘We haven’t had a very good week. That’s fine. But we still have four chances to do it.
“We will continue as we do, as we have done in recent years.
Both Cummins and Travis Head have denied such divisions exist within the Australian squad
Gavaskar also praised young Indian batsman Yashasvi Jaiswal (pictured), who powered his way to a score of 161 in the second innings
‘As a team we have been doing well for a while. We had a bad week.
‘Over the last few years there have been a lot of teams who have lost the first Test or gone down in the series, come back and played really well.’
Sean Abbot and Brendan Doggett have joined the squad ahead of the Second Test, but Scott Boland is seen as the most likely replacement for Hazlewood.
Head further pushed talk of a division in the Australian camp, saying the talks could be “put to bed.”
‘We have high expectations from both parties, [batting and bowling]and it is a very individualized sport.
‘So batters, we want to hold our own – we know how good our bowlers have been for us in the past and they’ve gotten us out of trouble a lot.
“As a batting group, we know that if we get enough runs on the board, we put ourselves in a great position.
“As a hitter, I try to take a lot of pride in what I do, and knowing that if I can put it up for the big boys, they can bring it down for us, so [there is] absolutely no division.”