NEW DELHI: Former Pakistan Cricket Board chairman and captain Ramiz Raja has claimed that it is impossible to beat the Indian team on their own soil. If it wasn’t for Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja on Day 3 of the second Test at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium, Australia could have entertained hopes of squaring the series and reclaiming the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
However, the spin twins managed to turn the tide in favour of the hosts as they cast a web around the Aussie batters, triggering a collapse. With the Aussies losing the plot and their wickets in a heap, the hosts were left to chase a paltry target to take an assailable lead in the series.
India cantered home by six wickets to reclaim the Border-Gavaskar trophy. In a video in his own YouTube channel, Ramiz Raja lavished praise on skipper Rohit Sharma and his entire team. He also picked out Jadeja for special praise for a phenomenal effort with the ball in both innings.
The former PCB chairman also made a mention of all-rounder Axar Patel, whose priceless innings of 74 helped India recover from a precarious position in their first innings.
“The clincher was Axar Patel’s knock in the first innigs. He stitched a crucial partnership with Ashwin at a time when Australia would have entertained hopes of skittling India out for a low score and taking a sizeable lead. Australia did not demonstrate the necessary mental toughness to thrive on these surfaces and there are obvious technical flaws in their batting. Their batting against spin left much to be desired. They played the wrong shots,” Raja said.
The former Pakistan skipper also unsparing in his criticism of Australia for failing to stand up to spin in both the innings.
“Australia would do to teams from the sub-continent on tailor-made surfaces at Perth or Brisbane what India did to them at Delhi. The tables have turned. It shows Australia did not prepare well for the series. It’s impossible to beat Team India in India. It was an ordinary performance against spin. They lost 9 wickets in a single session. Jadeja came up with an exceptional bowling effort,” the former Pakistan skipper said.
Having taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the ongoing series, India have taken a giant leap to sealing its passage to the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
Having conceded the Border-Gavaskar trophy, the visitors will play to level the series in the remaining two Tests. (ANI)