IND vs AUS | Australia, sweep at right stage of the innings, advises Michael Clarke

Australia are on verge of suffering a clean sweep at the hands of India in the Border Gavaskar Trophy as they have lost the first two matches against the Aussies. It was a close contest in the first innings as the visitors managed to score just one more run as compared to the opposition’s total. Further, they attempted playing sweep frequently on the second and third days of the play. Reflecting on the game, former Australian cricketer Michael Clarke has stated that the Australian team should play sweeps after recognizing the correct time to use it. 

"We haven’t adapted to conditions. I’m not saying don’t sweep in India, I’m saying the opposite. I’m saying you sweep at the right time, at the right stage of your innings, on the right pitch and, generally, with the spin,” Clarke said on Sky Sports Radio’s BSB.

“It’s very hard to sweep against the spin when the ball is not bouncing. So, basics of batting and facing spin bowling in those conditions we are getting so wrong.”

Australia set a target of 115 runs in the second innings for India but set a deep field while defending. The fielders were mostly positioned near the boundary line and Clarke blasted the visitors for their defensive approach. 

“I’ve got to say, I’m not sure what happened with our tactics either. We had 100 runs on the board, at one stage Pat Cummins had four blokes on the boundary. You’re either bowling India out for under 100, or you’re losing. If you lose in 20 overs or you lose in two days, it’s irrelevant,” he explained. 

“So fielders get up, (put a) bat-pad off side, bat-pad leg side, slip. If the ball turns, if the ball bounces, if the ball shoots along the ground, if you make an error in judgment, you are getting out. That’s what Australia had to do. We had mid-off back, mid-on back, deep point, deep square-leg — what was I watching?.”