Ravindra Jadeja’s left orthodox bowler’s ‘arm balls’ are the underpinnings of the strategy of ‘sweeping the Indian spinners’ which was shown by Englishman Graham Gooch two and a half decades ago and later successfully implemented by foreign batsmen who visited India including Tingot Hayden and Anthony Flowers.
Conventional sweep, slow sweep, paddle sweep, reverse sweep, whatever you try, ‘But if you miss, I will hit’, Jadeja says without saying. The last time a foreign batsman played sweep shots with authenticity in India was Joe Root in the Chennai Test in 2021, and it was under the guise of Jadeja.
The suicidal attitude of unimaginative Australian batsmen who do not respect the fact that sweep shots are never a safe shot on a low-bounce pitch is also worth mentioning. Let’s not forget that Smith, leg-before, who tried to blindly sweep Ashwin’s quick off-break, and Lebuschein, who misjudged Jadeja’s arm ball, which could have been played easily on the front foot, and bowled him on the backfoot, are some of the most technically sound batsmen in contemporary red ball cricket. Australian batting was so reckless.
The Indian top order is to be congratulated for positively chasing down the tricky target of 114 without once again seeking refuge in a moribund lower middle order. From captain Rohit to Srikar Bharat, the same positivity and intent is expected from the top order.
The distance to the oval continues to shrink. Another ICC final is postponed.