John Buchanan believes the fate of Ricky Ponting-led team in the ongoing four-Test cricket series against India will hinge on the form of its top order batsmen.
NEW DELHI: Australia's former coach John Buchanan believes the fate of Ricky Ponting-led team in the ongoing four-Test cricket series against India will hinge on the form of its top order batsmen.
"I believe that it will be the performance of the top-order that will decide the outcome of the series," Buchanan said.
"(Matthew) Hayden, (Ricky) Ponting and (Michael) Hussey are the key players if Australia wants to post big scores. (Simon) Katich, (Michael) Clarke and (Brad) Haddin can bat around them and help the side score mammoth totals.
"Hussey has been a prolific run-scorer for the Aussies. He adds the stability in the middle order and has been an outstanding performer over the past few years. It is almost a given that he will score heavily in the middle-order and win matches for his team," he was quoted as saying by the cricketnirvana.com.
Buchanan, however, defended "a little bit of defensive" tactics of the Australian team in Bangalore as part of strategy but said Ponting and Co had only themselves to blame for the draw in the first Test.
Buchanan, who was at the helm of affairs during Australia's world record 16 consecutive Test wins, dismissed Indian pacer Zaheer Khan's taunt that the current visiting side was the most defensive Aussie team.
"I think strategies are more important for winning a match. If the strategy is to be a little defensive then I don't think that's a problem.
"Being defensive or aggressive depends on how the team management has chalked out the game plan for the match," he said.
"Australia and India are among the three best sides in Test cricket. Australia was not able to finish off the Indian tail in the first innings and then in the second innings the Aussie pace battery failed to make early inroads so they are themselves to blame for the draw," Buchanan said.
"The result of Bengaluru Test has made Mohali Test all the more critical for both the teams," he added.
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