Hussey points out what caused Indian batting’s downfall at Adelaide

It was a shocker to see India succumb so meekly in the second innings of the Adelaide Test. While it was some quality bowling from the Aussies who reduced India to 36/9, former Australia batsman Michael Hussey has cited the lack of footwork from the Indian batsmen for the abysmal show. Hussey, a veteran of 79 Tests, 185 ODIs and 38 T20Is, said that the batsmen must have good footwork in order to excel on challenging and bouncy surfaces of Australia.

Hussey pointed out that if Indian batsmen fail to get their foot forward, it will difficult for them to score runs in Australia.

“Indian batsmen in general don’t like to get that big stride in forward, which sometimes you need to do on Australian pitches. They were sort of getting the half stride forwards. Virat Kohli is probably the exception; he is someone who is very confident with his footwork,” Hussey said on ESPNCricinfo. “But when the bowlers are getting the ball a lot fuller, and there is not a lot of footwork from the Indian batsmen, that’s where lies the opportunity to get a lot of nicks and that’s what happened.”

Weighing in on the importance of spending time in middle in such trying conditions, the Aussie remarked that the batsmen need to get a feel of the wicket, the swing and pace, something which was not the case with the Indian batters in Adelaide.

“In Australian conditions, when the pitches are liveliest, your first 15-20 balls are the most difficult. Once you get through that, then you feel like you can start scoring some runs. But negotiating those first 15-20 balls can be very difficult and if your footwork is not quite right, you’re going to find yourself walking back,” Hussey said.