"You won't even score the 260 and 120 you scored" - Gautam Gambhir says Australian batters shouldn't try to improve their technique

Gautam Gambhir feels Australia won't even reach the totals they posted in the recently concluded second Test against India if their batters try to alter their techniques in the middle of the series.

Australia scored 263 runs in their first innings in the Delhi Test and even took a solitary-run lead by dismissing India for 262. However, they were bowled out for 113 in their second essay on Sunday (February 19) and went on to lose the game by six wickets to go 2-0 down in the four-match series.

During a discussion on Star Sports, Gambhir was asked about his thoughts on how the visitors can stage a comeback in the series, to which he replied:

"I believe you cannot teach defense to these batters now. If you try to improve your technique in the middle of the series, you won't even score the 260 and 120 you scored. Only individual performances can help Australia stage a comeback and not a collective performance."

The former Indian opener feels Australia will have to rely on individual brilliance from players like Usman Khawaja and Steve Smith to mount a challenge, elaborating:

"There are a lot of players in that dressing room who will have so many self-doubts that it will be extremely difficult to recover from that. Imagine if Usman Khawaja scores a double hundred or Steve Smith individually scores a century or 150, then Australia can achieve those scores but technically, I don't see them coming back."

Gambhir opined that Australia should have compromised on the short-term goals to achieve the bigger objectives. He pointed out that the Aussies should have prepared a rank turner for the final Test of their home series against South Africa in Sydney.

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"I cannot predict if it will be 4-0" - Gautam Gambhir on whether India will whitewash Australia

Usman Khawaja scored 81 runs in the first innings of the Delhi Test. [P/C: BCCI]

Gambhir was further asked whether the series would end 4-0 in India's favor, to which he responded:

"I cannot predict if it will be 4-0 because this dressing room still has individuals - Steve Smith, Labuschagne, Usman Khawaja - the batting will be extremely dependent on these three players if David Warner doesn't play."

Gambhir concluded by observing that one of the frontline Australian batters will have to replicate VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid's series-defining performances for India from the 2001 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, stating:

"If one of them scores a double century, you would remember Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman did that when India were down and out, one player scored a 280 and another scored a 150 after a follow-on and India won the series. Such things have happened. So you can't count them out but technically, there are a lot of issues."

Laxman (281) and Dravid (180) strung together a 376-run fifth-wicket partnership after India were given a follow-on in the second Test in Kolkata after losing the first game by 10 wickets in Mumbai. Sourav Ganguly and Co. not only won that game but also registered a narrow two-wicket win in the final Test in Chennai to bag the series 2-1.