Sydney:Australian skipper Steven Smith today said that the pitches did not “break up quite as much as expected” during the four-match cricket Test series against India and it hampered the home side’s chances of winning by a bigger margin.
After winning the first two Tests in Adelaide and Brisbane, Australia could have had better results in the remaining matches, but they failed to grab 20 wickets each time, thus settling for a 2-0 series victory.
“It has been tough to get 20 wickets in this Test series. The wickets haven’t broken up quite as much as we thought they might. I don’t know the reasons for that. But it’s been tough and the bowlers have toiled extremely hard throughout these four Test matches. I am really proud of the way they’ve gone throughout these games,” Smith said at the post-match press conference.
Chasing a stiff target of 349 for victory, India suffered a dramatic collapse in the post tea session but somehow managed to eke out a draw by finishing on 252 for seven in 89.5 overs on an absorbing fifth day’s play of the fourth Test here at the SGC today.
Expressing disappointment over his side not being able to bowl out India on a fifth day track, Smith said: “It would have been nice to get the win today. I thought 90 overs with them having a little go at us would be a good chance to win this game but it wasn’t to be. I think the wicket didn’t break up quite as much as I thought it would. There wasn’t much up and down movement with balls on the stumps.
“I think with Nathan Lyon bowling into the rough, there were a few that hit the gloves and went straight into the ground. On a different day those pop up and you get wickets. But the boys toiled really hard today and we are disappointed not to get the result in the end,” he added.
PTI