Sunday Territorian

Bowlers worked to the bone, and it shows

- ROB FORSAITH

A RANGE of factors are to blame for Australia’s ineffectua­l performanc­e with the ball in India’s first innings of the final Test, including the bowlers’ physical state after long stints in the field at the MCG and SCG.

The Indians’ imposing score of 7(dec)-622 was the sixth highest by a visiting team in a Test in Australia, giving them the perfect platform to make their maiden series win in Australia all the more emphatic.

Quicks Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins and spinner Nathan Lyon are all struggling in Sydney, producing their worst performanc­es of the four-Test series.

Captain Tim Paine noted the tourists benefited from forcing Australia to bowl for 167.2 overs at the SCG but also 169.4 overs during another taxing innings at the MCG.

“Absolutely. Not so much the number of Tests but the number of balls that this Indian batting line-up has made us bowl,” Paine said, when asked about the fatigue factor.

“They made us bowl 170 overs in Melbourne, 160-odd in Sydney. That takes its toll.

“At the end of a long series, you can get some real rewards if you can make teams bowl lots and lots of overs.

“That’s what you saw ... it’s an extremely tough ask on fast bowlers and even Lyno (Nathan Lyon), to keep coming in and bowling and bowling and bowling when you’re not getting a hell of a lot of reward.”

Paine conceded his team attempted to do the same to India throughout the series but failed in its endeavour.

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