Former Indian coach Ravi Shastri has spoken out on Australia's performance so far throughout their tour of India, urging the visitors to be more patient while at the crease.
The Australian's have faced disappointing results throughout the first two tests, with India retaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in less than six days after poor batting performances from Australia.
With the third test just around the corner, Shastri has revealed that believes Australia's lack of trust in their defence is their own downfall.
Speaking on the ICC Review Podcast, Shastri explained that the Australian side needed to get back to the basics and embrace their natural play.
“I think application (has let them down) more than anything else; the lack of belief in their own defence,” Shastri said.
“The lack of application and the lack of discipline was unreal, and Australia paid for it big time.”
“If you don‘t trust your defence, you have no chance because that's when you entertain thoughts of breaking free, much quicker than you normally should.
“Sometimes you‘ve got to spend some time at the crease, but how are you going to spend some time at the crease if you don't trust your defence?
“But I didn‘t see one Australian batsman (do that). What surprised me was some of their most senior players also came out there and looked to do things out of the ordinary, something they're not used to.
“So I think it‘s patience, it's application, it's discipline and trusting your defence.”
The third Test between India and Australia is set to get underway on Wednesday at Holkar Stadium, with not just a loss, but a potential drop in the ICC Test rankings at stake for the Australians.
