'If Australia Leave With the Scoreline Not Being 4-0, I Think They Would Have Done Well'

Legendary Australian pacer Glenn McGrath has stated that Australia ‘would have done well’ if they can avoid suffering a 4-0 whitewash against India in the ongoing Border Gavaskar Trophy 2023.

After suffering two heavy defeats against India, who successfully retained the Border Gavaskar Trophy for a fourth successive time after taking a 2-0 lead, McGrath feels there is little way back for the Australian side.

Speaking ahead of the third Test match at Indore’s Holkar Stadium, McGrath also stated that the visitors are relying too much on Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschange, with the rest of the batsmen not taking enough responsibility.

The legendary pacer who is director of coaching at MRF Pace Foundation spoke to the reporters, highlighting what went wrong for his compatriots.

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“I think they’re relying too much on (Steve) Smith and Marnus (Labuschagne) at the moment. Travis Head has had a really good year as well. The whole batting line-up has to stand up,” said the 53-year-old.

Questioning Australia’s game plan McGrath felt that the visitors were never sure about how to tackle India’s spin threat.

“I think they haven’t settled on a game plan on how to play spin in India that they are confident with and can execute,” added the veteran.

He continued, “In the first Test, they were too defensive, and in the second Test, they were too aggressive. So we will see if they’ve learned from those two matches.”

“They have to find a happy medium and put a price on their wicket. In India, you have to build an innings on solid defence and then look at ways to score and put the pressure back on the bowlers,” added the all-time great.

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When quizzed further about the possible outcome of the series, McGrath felt that India have been head and shoulders above Australia in terms of their performances.

“Australia has a long way to turn things around. If they leave the shores with the scoreline not being 4-0, I think they would have done well,” Glenn McGrath stated.

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