'Outbatted, Outbowled, Outcaptained', 'Era of domination at an end'. the Australian media was scathing in its criticism of the world champions' dismal show
SYDNEY: "Outbatted, Outbowled, Outcaptained", "Era of domination at an end" - the Australian media was scathing on Wednesday in its criticism of the world champions' dismal show on Tuesday at the second Test against India at Mohali on the outskirts of Chadigarh. Having been "humbled, it's time to be humble", one paper wrote.
"It was not the defeat that was significant, but its manner... The Australians were humbled. Now comes the time to be humble. Ricky Ponting's team was outbatted, outbowled, outfielded, out-thought, outrun, outcaptained and outclassed," writes acclaimed cricket author and columnist Peter Roebuck in the Fairfax newspapers, publishers of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
Cricket on Wednesday returned to the front pages with pictures of a pensive looking Australian captain, with his eyes half closed, splashed on almost every newspaper. Indeed, Ricky Ponting does have plenty to think about after the crushing defeat.
"India played an aggressive game with cool heads. With Australia it was the reverse. The result was not a complete surprise... Betrayed at the SCG (the infamous second Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground in January), India have won two and drawn two of the ensuing Tests. Moreover, they had grown stronger even as the visitors faded," writes Roebuck.
As India leads in the four Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, "Indian ascendancy leaves Ponting's side in tatters", says the national daily, The Australian.
"The colossus which strode world cricket largely unchallenged for more than a decade is no longer. Australia is now finding that India is treating it in the same way that it confronted the West Indies to claim the world crown in 1995. Australia has been seriously out-played and out-verballed in this match," writes Malcolm Conn in The Australian.
Australia's retired cricketing greats - Shane Warne, Adam Gilchrist, Glenn McGrath - are really being missed during this series. As Greg Baum writes in The Age, "England's cricket teams have false dawns, Australia's false Waterloos. Mostly, they are in and against India. This one, though, has a disturbingly Napoleonic feel about it."
Even though Ponting is saying "don't write us off", columnists and commentators don't sound too hopeful of a resurrection.
"There was not one area of this match where Australia was India's equal... When Australia attempted to save the match, a combination of high-class bowling and illogical batting saw the tourists meekly surrender," writes Glenn Mitchell on Australian Broadcasting Corporation Grandstand Online.
Delhi, where the third Test begins Oct 29, may prove a greater challenge as India has not lost a match in the national capital for the past 21 years.
Unfortunately, for many cricket fans in Australia, the only way to watch this series has been by subscribing to pay Television or Online.
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