Handscomb hopes Aus draw Test and take some positives from series
SYDNEY: The series is virtually in India’s pocket after Australia were forced to follow on at home for the first time in 31 yearsbut batsman Peter Handscomb said they will try to salvage some pride by saving the fourth Test on the final day on Monday.
Handscomb said the heavily truncated fourth day’s play in the Sydney Test has given his side a great chance to draw the match and keep India’s victory margin in the series to 2-1. The home side were six for no loss in their second innings when bad light intervened. Only 25.2 overs were possible through the day.
“We will be coming out tomorrow and drawing this game (will be the aim), and then we will assess where we need to improve and get together as a team. We know that as a batting group we can take some confidence out of tomorrow if we can last the day, showing the country and the world that we are not far off from clicking as a really good team,” said Handscomb.
Kuldeep Yadav picked his second five-wicket haul in Tests, in his first Test on Australian soil, as the home side were bowled out for 300 in the first innings. Handscomb has been one of the victims of India’s potent bowling attack. He was dropped for the third Test in Melbourne before being recalled for the final game. He praised Kuldeep and Jasprit Bumrah as two of the toughest bowlers in the Indian attack.
“Both are world class bowlers in their own right. Bumrah coming in can crank it up to 150kph and is always pretty tough with his accuracy. He has not missed his mark too much and has been able to swing it both ways, which is quite impressive with that action, which also adds to the fact how hard he is to pick.”
‘KULDEEP ACCURATE’
“Kuldeep was very accurate and hard to get on top of. With the pace that he bowled, it was hard to get down the wicket and force through the field. He was accurate and used the footmarks well, giving it a good spin.”
He said Kuldeep has become more consistent after playing more international cricket and honing his skills since his debut in 2016 (in the win over Australia at Dharamsala). The Australian batting line-up has come under severe criticism through the series, with not a single batsman managing a hundred
Handscomb said the criticism was warranted but they will try to change the momentum on Monday, which promises to be an intriguing final day of the series.