Series defeat to India threatened positions of players, says ex-Australia head coach John Buchanan – Firstcricket News, Firstpost

After losing to India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, former Australia head coach John Buchanan made some stunning observations about the team. He claimed that the defeat to India hit the Aussies so hard that they were inspired to go all out for their first-ever T20 World Cup trophy.

While speaking to The Telegraph, Buchanan asserted that the back-to-back series loss to India on home ground acted as a wake-up call for the Aussies. “There’s little doubt that the loss to India at home hurt the team, dented egos and threatened the positions of players and support staff,” Buchanan said.

As it turned out, Australia beat New Zealand in the final to win their maiden T20 World Cup title in Dubai.

Indian players celebrate with their trophy after defeating Australia by three wickets on the final day of the fourth Test at the Gabba. AP

The two-time World Cup-winning head coach further added that it took some painful lessons for the players to turn things around.

Also, after the T20 World Cup, Buchanan spoke to current Australia head coach Justin Langer who was more excited about the planning and preparation that went into the tournament than winning it. Buchanan also claimed that the Australian team felt well prepared for the Ashes, which is currently on show.

Team India defeated a full-strength Australian team in their own backyard despite missing a few of their first-team players due to injury and other reasons.

Fans were shocked to see how the series began with the Adelaide debacle. India succumbed to 26 all out, which is still the lowest total in Test cricket. Things turned even more difficult as regular captain Virat Kohli had to return home after the first Test due to personal reasons.

But things changed once Ajinkya Rahane took charge, leading India to a remarkable victory in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.

India’s graph only went upwards from then on. On the back of some superb performances by Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill, Mohammed Siraj, Ravichandran Ashwin, Team India ended the tour by successfully breaching Australia’s fortress Gabba.

The 2-1 series victory is rated as one of the greatest wins in history of Indian cricket. Australia head coach Langer at that time had acknowledged that they should never have underestimated the Indians.