Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan heaped praise on Josh Hazlewood for his relentless spell of seam bowling during the second ODI against India in Adelaide on Thursday, October 23. Pathan also felt he hadn’t seen a more unlucky spell of bowling, given the veteran pacer’s efforts deserved at least one wicket.
Hazlewood was the tormentor-in-chief of India’s batting lineup during the opening game in Perth. The New South Welshman was into his groove once again in the second game, beating Rohit Sharma’s bat on multiple occasions. Although Hazlewood bowled two maidens, he could not claim a wicket.
Reflecting on his spell in Adelaide, Pathan stated that Hazlewood could have dismissed Rohit Sharma on at least 20 occasions out of the 60 balls he delivered. He also lauded Hazlewood for drawing 45% false shots from the batsmen, saying on his YouTube channel:
> “The way Josh Hazlewood bowled 10 overs for 29 runs but no wicket—I doubt I have seen such an unlucky spell. He bowled 60 balls, out of which he could have gotten Rohit Sharma’s wicket in any of the 20 balls. Even when he was bowling the 35th or 36th over, he was consistently beating the bat.
> I haven’t seen forcing the batters to play 45% false shots and not getting a wicket despite that. Mitchell Starc didn’t bowl that well but he got a wicket. It’s a game of luck sometimes. Wrist-spinner Zampa performed well as well, taking four wickets.”
Pathan also took note of Cooper Connolly’s composed innings of 61*, claiming that he can serve Australia for a long time. Dissecting Connolly’s approach, he elaborated:
> “Australia have won the series 2-0. It seemed like India weren’t prepared, but Australia, who are in a transition phase, looked well-drilled. Cooper Connolly, in particular, has a unique batting style—the bat comes from down. If you see most Australian batsmen, they stand pre-loaded, but very few keep their bat down when the bowler is at the top of his mark.
> He looked like a different batter, taking singles and doubles, rotating the strike. When Australia A was playing India A, he was the highest scorer, scoring nearly 150 runs in three innings. This player can serve Australia for a long time and has the potential to become a good all-rounder. It’s a long journey, but he played a good knock.”
The spin-bowling all-rounder joined Matthew Short at the crease when Australia were still 126 runs adrift of victory. He shared half-century stands with Short and Mitch Owen as the hosts won with two wickets to spare.
Pathan also emphasized the importance of wrist-spin on this pitch, saying:
> “We saw one more time how much we needed a wrist-spinner on this pitch because the ball was not gripping.”
With India losing an ODI in Adelaide for the first time since 2008, Pathan pointed out the lack of runs on the board as the key issue. The 40-year-old added:
> “After 2008, we lost a match in Adelaide and the series too. When India look back, they will say we came close, took wickets, but the runs were not enough. If there were more runs on the board, it would have been better.”
India will face Australia in the third and final ODI of the series in Sydney on Saturday, October 25.
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