Border-Gavaskar Trophy | In Indore, we doubled down on what we’d set out to achieve initially: Andrew McDonald

Travis Head with Coach Andrew McDonald during a practice session at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore on February 28, 2023.
| Photo Credit: R.V. Moorthy

Australia head coach Andrew McDonald has admitted that visiting teams need to be “near perfect” to challenge India in their own backyard, something they sought in Indore by “doubling down” on what they had set out to achieve initially.

Hammered by the hosts inside three days in the first two Tests of the Border-Gavaskar trophy, Australia fought back strongly to claim the third match on an Indore pitch that offered vicious turn and variable bounce.

“You have almost got to be near perfect against India in India. I think this game (Indore Test) besides that 6 for 11 was near perfect,” McDonald was quoted as saying ‘ESPNcricinfo’.

According to McDonald, the team’s success in the Indore Test showed there is a core group of players who are learning what it takes to win in the subcontinent and can help the side taste greater success in the future.

“Everyone’s journey starts at some point in time on the subcontinent, and I think there’s a core group of players that will come back here more experienced and, in theory, better equipped for the challenges.

“We’re talking about a series here where we’ve had certain conditions that probably aren’t relatable to any other subcontinent tour over time, so it’s always a different challenge when you do arrive here.” He said Australia lost the chance to retain the trophy due to one hour of chaos in the second Test in Delhi.

However, on a pitch rated “poor” by the ICC, the visitors rode on star off-spinner Nathan Lyon’s 11-wicket match haul to humble the visitors by nine wickets and confirm their place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.

“We had a little bit of luck. Marnus (Labuschagne) getting bowled off a no-ball, how critical was that at that point in time, (and) that allowed a partnership to flourish. We took our opportunities as well.

“Usman’s (Khawaja) flying catch and then Smudge (Smith Smith) winding back the clock with that one at leg slip. You compare that to the Delhi game where Smudge dropped one at first slip and then we dropped one at leg slip in Matthew Renshaw, and they were critical.

“We had one hour of chaos there and that cost us that Test match when we’d played pretty good cricket. We came here and doubled down on what we’d set out to achieve at the start of the tour,” McDonald said.