SYDNEY: Australia quick Josh Hazlewood is concerned that New Zealand’s stunning series sweep of India might “awaken a sleeping giant” when Rohit Sharma’s touring party arrive Down Under for their blockbuster five-Test series.

New Zealand became the first team to sweep India 3-0 at home when they won the third Test in Mumbai by 25 runs on Sunday, a reverse that Indian batting great Sachin Tendulkar said should be the trigger for “introspection”.

Hazlewood, who was on the losing side when India triumphed on their last two visits to Australia in 2018-19 and again in 2020-21, was full of praise for New Zealand’s remarkable feat but cautious about what it might mean for the upcoming series.

“It might awaken a sleeping giant, so to speak. We’ll see that when they come out,” the 33-year-old told the Sydney Morning Herald. “It’s obviously better them losing 3-0 than winning 3-0, easily. The confidence might have taken a bit of a hit.

“A lot of them have been out here, but there’s a few batters who haven’t, so they’ll be a bit unsure of what to expect. I don’t think you can read too much into it. The results are obviously good for us in a way.”

Hazlewood’s fellow quick Scott Boland also thought the India side that turned up on the opening day of the first Test at Perth on Nov. 22 could be an altogether tougher proposition to the team that meekly folded against the Black Caps.

“I think the conditions are so different,” he told reporters on Tuesday. “Obviously, the last couple of times India’s come to Australia, they’ve done really well. Yeah, there’s so much more bounce here.

“I think the way they’ll structure up their team (might) be completely different to what you see over in India.”

Meanwhile, former skipper Krishnamachari Srikk­anth has said that India must start planning for Sharma’s successor if the team do not play well in Australia as the captain could well retire from the longest format,.

Sharma retired from Twenty20 internationals after delivering India’s second World Cup trophy in June but the 37-year-old has struggled for form and admitted to his leadership lapses in the New Zealand series.

India head to Australia needing to win four out of their five Tests to reach a third successive World Test Championship final next year and could be without Sharma for the opener for personal reasons.

“You have to start thinking ahead. If Rohit Sharma doesn’t do well, I think he himself will retire from Test cricket, for all you know,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel. “He’ll play ODIs only. He has already left T20I cricket. We have to keep in mind that he’s also ageing.”

Sharma has scored 4,270 runs in test cricket at an average of 42.27 but his recent form has come under the microscope.

He has made only one half-century in his last 10 innings, with six single-digit scores, and was guilty of playing reckless shots at important moments against the Black Caps.

Srikkanth, also a former chief selector, said the skipper was right to accept his shortcomings in a press conference.

“Hats off to Rohit for accepting the fact that he played badly throughout the series and captained badly. That’s a great thing,” Srikkanth added. “That’s the first move of a player to get back to rhythm. Accepting your fault is very important. That’s a very important quality of a human being.

“He accepted it openly. That means he’s on the road to recovery, that’s my opinion.”

Published in Dawn, November 6th, 2024