Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar and former India head coach Ravi Shastri minced no words in denouncing India’s poor performance in the first session on the second day of the Boxing Day Test against Australia in Melbourne. Gavaskar said India fast bowler Akash Deep, who opened proceedings along with Mohammed Siraj on Friday, “wasted the (second) new ball”. A resurgent Steve Smith made his second century in as many Tests as Australia posted an impressive tally. Captain Pat Cummins also did his part with a quick score of 49 as Australia reached 454/7 at lunch on the second day.

In the morning session, the hosts scored 143 runs in 27 overs while losing just one wicket. Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah looked tired and jaded while captain Rohit Sharma was out of ideas as Steve Smith and Cummins took the game away from India.

Gavaskar criticized Akash Deep for bowling loose deliveries to Cummins and giving easy boundaries. “Pretty standard blowjob. If you have to throw a bouncer, get it around the helmet badge and not around the waist. I’m very disappointed, I’m sorry. This new ball was wasted. Aakash Deep was everywhere.” “He wasted the new ball by bowling well outside off stump. The Indians were also sloppy on the field,” he said in his commentary.

Shastri criticizes Rohit Sharma’s captaincy

Ravi Shastri criticized Rohit Sharma’s captaincy and asked why he picked two spinners when they could not be used properly.

“India ran out of ideas. Bowling was pretty ordinary. The spin wasn’t used as much as it should have been. Sundar took 40 overs to bowl. Why did you play two weirdos? What was needed if you don’t trust them?” he asked on the post-lunch show on Star Sports.

Smith improved again to 68, with Cummins following him on eight.

The veteran batsman showed his intent early on with a four off Jasprit Bumrah, while Cummins also struggled with freedom and was unafraid to deliver his shots.

They got 15 from an Akash deep to improve their 50-run partnership before Smith hooked Bumrah for six to rub salt in the wounds.

India’s body language showed their frustration as the Test eluded them on an innocuous pitch and offered them little.

Smith reached his 34th Test century with a boundary off Nitish Kumar Reddy, which came on the back of a return to form in the last Test in Brisbane, where he reached 101.

It was a patient innings from the 35-year-old that put him on the overall list of century makers along with four other players, including Sunil Gavaskar and Brian Lara.

Only six players have scored more goals, led by Sachin Tendulkar with 51.