Australia vs India: Ian Healy comes down heavily on hosts after defeat in Adelaide

Australia failed to defend a bigger total in the second ODI game against India in Adelaide on Tuesday, compared to the first and it led former players like Ian Healy express disappointment over the reigning world champions’ performance. The hosts scored 298 for 9 in 50 overs at the Adelaide Oval, 10 runs more than their 288 for 5 in the first match in Sydney, but despite India having had a challenge of scoring more than a run-a-ball at once stage, Australia lost the game with four balls to spare.

The Aussies came up with an ordinary bowling performance in Adelaide after a commendable show in Sydney where they won by 34 runs. All the Indian batsmen chipped in with runs this time with the lowest scorer being Ambati Rayudu’s (24). Indian captain Virat Kohli led from the front with 104 while Mahendra Singh Dhoni scored his second consecutive fifty of the series and with a much-improved strike rate.

Perform or perish, warns Healy

Healy, who played international cricket for 11 years and was part of the Australian team that ended as the runners-up in World Cup 1996, criticised the Australian bowlers’ performance in the second ODI and even warned them of losing out on the World Cup due in a few months if improvements were not made.

Australia have rested the three pacers that played in the Test series against India – Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood – in the ODIs and youngsters Jason Behrendorff and Jhye Richardson shouldered their bowling attack in the 50-over format. The Aussie pacers reduced India to four for three in the first game to win it eventually but failed to replicate the same in the second game.

“I just think we’ve got to get our jobs done. You’re playing for Australia in big matches. So Peter Siddle has got to get it right otherwise he won’t make the World Cup. Jhye Richardson has been expensive and leg-side at times, he’s got to get that right. Jason Behrendorff was another one who was too leg-side and I thought his pace was terrible at the end. I reckon he was bowling less than 130 at the end,” Healy said on SEN Mornings, a programme on Australia’s 1116 SEN radio station in Melbourne.

The 54-year-old former keeper also took a dig at the Australian batsmen, saying: “Our batsmen started really slowly and lost top-order wickets again. Get it right or we won’t see you again, We’re (ranked) number six in the world and we haven’t won a series for two years.” He also expressed surprise over why legspinner Adam Zampa did not get a pick ahead of Nathan Lyon.

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