'Too many meetings': Steve Waugh torches Aussie Test tactics
Former Test captain Steve Waugh thinks Australia got too carried away trying to plan for every possible scenario during last summer's failed series against India.
An injury-ravaged Indian side won the Border-Gavaskar trophy on Australian soil thanks to match-saving batting performances on the final day of both the Sydney and Brisbane Tests, with the home side's highly-touted bowling attack unable to take the wickets required for outright victory.
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The loss represented something of a nadir for the Australian Test side, and Waugh believes their inability to work out a 'plan B' was what ultimately cost them.
In an interview for the Road to the Ashes podcast, Waugh said it was crucial for captain Tim Paine and the rest of the team's leaders to be more flexible under pressure.
"You’re planning so much these days, and have all these set plans," Waugh told the Fox Cricket podcast.
"When it doesn’t work out, you mightn’t have that Plan B or Plan C, or the one that’s a bit out of the box and left-field thinking.
“That was possibly needed by Australia in a few of the matches they should’ve won.
“Maybe we relied too much on the quartet of amazing bowlers and sometimes those guys get tired."
Waugh was confident getting back to basics and playing an 'intuitive, instinctive' style of cricket would do wonders.
The former Test skipper added that the key to Australia's success during the team's heyday throughout the 1990s and 2000s was a general reluctance to overcomplicate matters.
“When (Plan A) doesn’t work you sort of forget about those intuitive instinctive moments that sometimes you need to win a Test match – and potentially we’ve probably missed out on that over the last 12 months," he said.
“If you’re going well, I thought there’s no point in tinkering with it too much – just let it roll along and don’t overanalyse.
“That was one of the keys to our success when we won a lot of Ashes series, that we didn’t have too many meetings.”
Team India get vaccines for England tour
India captain Virat Kohli and several of his teammates have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccines before they leave for a tour of England next month.
India face New Zealand in the final of the inaugural World Test Championship at Southampton in June before playing a five-Test series against England from August 4.
India's coronavirus cases rose by 329,942 on Tuesday while deaths from the disease rose by 3,876.
The country leads the world in the daily average number of new deaths reported, accounting for one in every three deaths reported worldwide each day, according to a Reuters tally.
"Vaccinate yourself as soon as you can please. Stay Safe," Kohli said in an Instagram message after posting a photo of him being vaccinated on Monday.
Kohli's Test teammates Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav have also posted messages on social media saying they have received the first jab.
Most of the players had been playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL), which was suspended indefinitely last week because of the pandemic.
India began a vaccination drive for those above 18-years-old on May 1.
Indian athletes preparing for the Tokyo Olympics, including the men's and women's hockey teams, have also received their first dose of the vaccine.
Members of the shooting contingent also received their first dose before leaving for a training camp in Croatia on Monday.
With AAP
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