Perfection. Yes, that is what it takes to beat India at home. Post the win in the 3rd Test in Indore , Australia head coach Andrew McDonald couldn't agree more.
He said any team visiting India need to be near perfect in order to challenge them, and in the Indore Test, apart from that collapse in the 1st innings, Australia did not put a foot wrong. "You have almost got to be near perfect against India in India. I think this game (Indore Test) besides that 6 for 11 was near perfect," McDonald was quoted as saying 'ESPNcricinfo'.
According to McDonald, the team's success in the Indore Test proved that the senior players in the team are understanding what it takes to win in the subcontinent, and in future, they can help the team gain further success.
"Everyone's journey starts at some point in time on the subcontinent, and I think there's a core group of players that will come back here more experienced and, in theory, better equipped for the challenges. We're talking about a series here where we've had certain conditions that probably aren't relatable to any other subcontinent tour over time, so it's always a different challenge when you do arrive here."
On a pitch rated "poor" by the ICC, the visitors rode on star off-spinner Nathan Lyon's 11-wicket match haul to humble the visitors by nine wickets and confirm their place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
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"We had a little bit of luck. Marnus (Labuschagne) getting bowled off a no-ball, how critical was that now, (and) that allowed a partnership to flourish. We took our opportunities as well. Usman's (Khawaja) flying catch and then Smudge (Smith Smith) winding back the clock with that one at leg slip. You compare that to the Delhi game where Smudge dropped one at first slip and then we dropped one at leg slip in Matthew Renshaw, and they were critical. We had one hour of chaos there and that cost us that Test match when we'd played pretty good cricket. We came here and doubled down on what we'd set out to achieve at the start of the tour," McDonald said.
The last Test is scheduled for March 9 in Ahmedabad.
