Hazlewood: India will try to blunt pace of Cummins
IT’S hard to disagree with Australian bowler Josh Hazlewood when he says all the pressure is on India as the two nations go into the final Test locked at 1-1.
India had the better of the third Test, where the tourists batted out the final day thanks to heroics from Shaun Marsh and Peter Handscomb to clinch a draw.
Pat Cummins also starred for Australia on his return to the Test side, taking four wickets in the India innings, on a wicket that was perhaps slower and offered less turn than expected.
And after India thrashed England at the end of last year, Hazlewood is quick to say that the hosts are the ones with the expectations on their shoulder.
The Aussie bowler said:“I think the wicket will determine a result.They need to win so the wicket they serve up will bring a result into the game. The pressure is firmly on them.We can draw it but we obviously want to win it, win 2-1 and win a series in India, which rarely happens.
“I’d love to see it fast and bouncy. But that’s what they said in Pune as well and we didn’t quite get that. I think the way they saw Pat Cummins bowl the other day, they don’t really want it any faster than Ranchi, I wouldn’t think.We’d love it to be that way, would feel a bit more like home, but I don’t think we’ll get that.”
Despite Steve Smith and Glenn Maxwell hitting centuries as Australia reached 451, Ravindra Jadeja’s 5-124 kept India in the game. And Cheteshwar Pujara and Wriddhiman Saha forced it more into their hand as they made 202 and 117 respectively to take the hosts to 603.
That gave India a 152-run lead but Handscomb’s epic 72 lasted 200 balls while Marsh batted for 197 to leave it all down to Dharamsala.