Australia vs India: Brad Hodge takes an indirect dig on the banned duo

Australia registered their first Test win in nine months in Perth and many felt that the team has finally found its mojo. The suspensions of two of their best batsmen Steve Smith and David Warner has weakened their batting and it was exposed in Melbourne by India. On a pitch where the hosts toiled hard to pick 15 wickets of the opposition, the visitors easily bundled them out twice bringing reverse swing into the picture. But there was none when Australia were bowling which has led to Brad Hodge taking a dig on both Smith and Warner.

Cape Town Test in March earlier this year witnessed one of the worst incidents in the Australian cricket history. Cameron Bancroft was caught on camera while trying to change the condition of the ball and the whole saga was exposed with the then captain Steve Smith admitting that they tried to bring reverse swing into play in a not-so-proper way.

The confession sent shivers spine down the Australian cricket and what followed was severe bans on Smith, Warner who actually plotted the whole thing and Bancroft who was picked to perform the action.

Australia probably missed the two players

While speaking to ESPNCricinfo after the Melbourne Test which Australia lost by 137 runs, Brad Hodge was asked about the lack of reverse swing when the hosts were bowling. The Indian bowlers were at the top of their mark when the ball became old and surprisingly, the Aussies who extracted reverse swing superbly during the Ashes last year just couldn’t find any during the whole Test match.

Hodge, in response, took a dig at Smith and Warner saying that the team was missing two players who were making it happen previously and also termed it as a tricky question. “That’s a good tricky question I guess. Maybe because a couple of players aren’t there who were allowing that to happen,” he said and also had a smile on his face. Meanwhile, Bancroft’s ban has come to an end while the suspensions for the other two cricketers will end on March 29.

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