Former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar feels Ravindra Jadeja’s no-ball reprieve to Marnus Labuschagne was the turning point in the third Test against Australia of the Border Gavaskar Trophy. The Indian batting attack crumbled on the spin-friendly wicket at the Holkar Stadium in Indore. The hosts lost the test by nine wickets, defending a small target of 76 runs.

Batting first, Team India was bundled out for a paltry 109 runs. In response, Australia put on 197 runs. During their innings, Marnus Labuschagne was dismissed by Ravindra Jadeja, however, off a no-ball. He went on to build a solid partnership with Usman Khawaja to help Australia take the first-innings lead. The duo added 96 runs for the second-wicket stand. Sunil Gavaskar feels that Jadeja’s no-ball was the turning point in the third Test. He said on Star Sports,

“If you look back, you will say that is probably what cost India the match because after that they (Labuschagne and Usman Khawaja) stitched a partnership of 96 when India were dismissed for 109. So I think that was probably the turning point. That no ball cost India the match.” 

There is a lack of confidence: Sunil Gavaskar

Former cricketer Sunil Gavaskar further expressed that the Indian batter did not play to their potential. He added that the batters lacked confidence, as they are short on runs in the ongoing Border Gavaskar Trophy series. Gavaskar also stated that the Indian batters looked tentative at the crease. He said after India’s loss in the third Test against Australia,

“Batters actually didn’t do justice to their talent. If you look at the Indian wickets, you will find it is the Indian batters who got themselves out, playing some shots anticipating that this is what the pitch is going to do.”

“If you look there is a lack of confidence because, in the first two matches, they did not get runs, apart from Rohit Sharma, who got a lovely hundred in Nagpur. When you are short of runs, there is just that little tentativeness in their batting. And you can sense that they were feeling for the deliveries,” he added.

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