Boxing Day is the biggest Test cricket day on the calendar
anywhere in the world.
As a kid,
Boxing Day was probably the only time I'd ever get nervous for the players.
All international players want to play on that day
in front of 90,000 Australians baying for their blood.
Australians love the Australian cricket team.
But if we mess it up, they'll let us know.
Right. Merry Christmas, everyone.
- Boxing Day Test match. You bloody beauty.
Everyone's dream to be here for this Test match.
So, I'm all excited and I'm sure you are, too.
I just wanted to show you this little cartoon I just noticed in the paper
on the way home the other day.
There's Painey. It's about right.
There's Virat.
And then, if I move it down a little...
..and the goat.
Alright.
The other day I showed you a little graph about where we are with our sessions.
The greens are the ones we've won during this series.
The reds are the ones we've lost.
And the oranges are the ones that have sort of evened out.
Halfway through the series, we're seeing a lot of green.
So that's a really good thing.
India, away from home, have an average of 247 in their first innings,
and we know how important first-innings runs are.
They're at currently 267
and we're actually out-batting them at 281 at this point in time.
OK? We're winning that war.
We don't know what these wickets are gonna be like, Sydney and Melbourne,
so this is where hundreds are gonna be really important,
the big partnerships, the big individual efforts,
from a batting perspective.
I think we're doing some really good things.
I think the challenge for us...or, from me to all of us for this Test match
is quite simply we've just got to keep doing what we are doing for longer periods of time.
I think our best cricket, we've shown that we can break them open with the ball,
we can put them under pressure with the bat.
I think if we keep doing it for longer, we're gonna have some really good results.
Boxing Day Test match. The series level at one-all.
Rather perfectly, Australia had set Boxing Day up as the main event.
It was 1-1.
But I didn't quite buy into the idea that suddenly Australia had won
and everybody regarded all the problems as solved.
OK, teams. Let's play.
There were very specific circumstances in Perth that suited Australia
which were not going to be replicated in Melbourne.
The pitch, as it has been for a number of years, was perfect for India.
Oh. Well, that's rolled on Tim Paine there.
It'll go down as byes.
I think it was the second or third over the ball bounced about this high
and it was like you could just feel the energy in the whole coaches' box
just go, "Oh, no!
"It is the flattest wicket in the world!"
Yeah, looks like it's gonna be very hard work for the bowlers.
As a bowler, you want...
..either swing, seam,
pace, bounce,
hopefully some spin for the spinners,
and a flat wicket basically has none of those things.
So, Cheteshwar Pujara.
Well, we talk about how important Virat Kohli is to the Indian team.
I think this guy here is almost just as important.
He's someone that can occupy the crease for long periods of time,
wear the bowlers down.
Pujara is old-school.
He's a classic Test match batsman.
Pujara, to a younger generation, is almost a curiosity.
As the game moves more and more towards T20, which is the modern saviour of our game,
the word resilience starts to go out, because there is no time for resilience.
- - And runs for Pujara.
There's just no ego about his batting.
He doesn't care how he looks and how long it takes to get his runs. He just gets on with the job.
As soon as he's faced that ball it's, "OK. The next ball. The next ball, the next ball."
He doesn't look a session ahead or a day ahead. He just focuses on the now.
And you can tell by the way he plays
that he's not worried about anything else besides just batting.
And that's all he does. And that's what he did.
Oh, he gets it through the gap.
It's just got the feel about him batting a long time in this Test match.
He already has.
He was happy to bat for five days if he had to.
The mighty MCG, day two of the third Test match.
The Indians, 2/215 after a tough day of Test cricket yesterday.
The partnership between Pujara and Kohli is already at 92,
and if the Australians don't break it early, it could grow and grow and grow.
We respect it was a tough day yesterday.
We've talked about it's gonna be an arm wrestle.
The pitch, there is nothing we can do about it and we've got to deal with it. OK?
But it's out of our control. Nothing we can do about it.
They showed great patience, but we showed great patience.
Who's gonna break first? That's my question to you.
It's gonna be hot. It's gonna be flat. Who's gonna break first?
Is it gonna be us, or is it gonna be them?
There was nothing wrong with the bowling. The bowling was gonna keep Australia in the game.
Pujara was like kryptonite to these blokes.
This partnership now really starting to hurt Australia.
He was just wearing down the bowlers, wearing them down till they were exhausted.
Drives down the ground. 100 runs for Cheteshwar Pujara.
And India will realise the enormous value he brings to this side.
The way Pujara batted, that was just brilliant.
I always thought, as an opener, you're the marathon man. You're not Usain Bolt.
Great Test match batting.
- - Virat Kohli is declaring!
A declaration normally means you're in front of the game.
They're confident they can win the game if they declare it.
Good day for the Indians.
They've got themselves in a strong position. 443 on the board.
170 overs in the field.
I mean, there's a few tired bodies there, especially the big quicks.
The criticism of the MCG pitch, is it all fair, in your opinion?
I think it's not an easy pitch to score quickly on.
So, you know, that's gonna be Australia's problem.
Even if they bat really well, it's gonna take them a long time to get level with India,
and, you know, they really would then need to build up a decent lead
to have a hope of putting some pressure on them in the second innings.
Only thing for me, boys... Oh, a couple of things, actually.
One - nothing changes.
It's Test match cricket. You've got plenty more time than you think, all that sort of stuff.
Now it's a matter of absorbing the early pressure with the new ball
and then grinding the shit out of them.
What is it about your bowlers?
Give them one day off, they'll win you a game.
That's right, yeah. It's actually true.
Give them a day off. We can probably give them more than a day off if we can.
But, for all of us, as a group...
..this is where we get tested.
We've had two tough days in the field. This is where we've got to stick together.
Whether in the corner talking to each other, or up there,
whatever we're doing, this is where we've got to stick together, every one of us, right?
Every one of us when it gets tough. This is what pro teams do - they stick together.
We've got to do that out in the middle, off the field, keep sticking together, right?
If we start coming apart and... then we're fucked.
By the time we were batting,
a few foot holes opened up, a 450-run lead and they set the game up,
and we just weren't good enough.
And he is gone! Finch goes.
Oh, "catch it" is the call. Ishant Sharma settles and takes the catch!
Out!
Khawaja goes for 21, and Australia 3/53 and in trouble.
Bowlers win you series, not batsmen.
Australia's batsmen are not giving the bowlers enough time off between innings.
And it's not a happy changeroom for the Australians, now under siege.
Oh! They like it! Full! And given!
Bowled! Jasprit Bumrah is fired up!
Australia 7/138.
Gloved! And Paine goes.
Hazlewood.
Oh, bowled him! He's got six!
Australia all out...
..for 151.
They trail by 292.
And Virat Kohli decides to grind Australia down and bringing the Australians out again.
How much of a psychological blow is that?
When the batting couldn't get its act together,
suddenly the bowlers were called out there again, you know?
They'd barely got...treated the blisters from the first bowling innings
and they had to have the second bowling innings.
Well, they've got to be shell-shocked, the Australians,
after basically two days in the field.
And there's the opening runs.
A lovely drive through the covers.
Dances down the ground. Connects well. That's four.
Exciting. Paddy Cummins gets ready to swing into the attack.
As a kid, I never really understood how taxing bowling is.
Every time we run in to bowl, it's 10 to 12 times our body weight going through our legs.
You go out there, you bowl 20 overs in a day, you cover 20-odd kay,
and then they expect you to wake up and do it all again the next day.
It's super exhausting.
Pat Cummins, I think he could be the man.
He's taken the big wickets of this series, but he still hasn't got a big bag.
Maybe today is his day.
Pat Cummins has been the player Australia identified as a teenager
who had essentially five years taken out of his career.
He got injured all the time.
People were going, "Oh, he doesn't play any games. He's always in the rehab centre."
He always had a bit of a smile on his face, kept smiling, kept training.
Right. Is there a wicket here? There is.
Yeah, that's a big blow for the Australians.
Pat Cummins tireless in his effort.
My first Test was in 2011 - Johannesburg, South Africa.
I was out of school six months, bowled day one.
I remember walking off and just had a sore heel.
By the end of day three, I couldn't walk.
Six, seven months out of the game because of that injury.
And from there, it was almost one after the other.
I tore a side on my next tour.
Then I did my back and missed about six or seven months.
And then did my back again - another seven or eight months.
Cummins looks threatening here. He looks dangerous.
Getting back and playing Test cricket and backing up day after day,
that was, you know, something I definitely questioned,
'cause I felt so far away from that at times.
- - There. There's another one.
Pat Cummins in the action.
We always knew how good he was, but I think now he's in that real sweet spot
where he's got confidence in his body, he's got confidence in his skill.
- - Oh, another one!
What an inspired fielding position that is.
Last seven balls, 3/0.
And what a spell this has been for Australia
and for Pat Cummins, on the field for pretty much the whole of this match.
Gone! Pat Cummins with another!
He is on fire!
He's got 4/2!
He's on a hat trick.
Well, will it be a hat trick for Pat Cummins? You wouldn't write him off at this stage.
He's got 4/2. He's on a roll.
Oh, he's gone for it! It was just wide of the leg gully.
Pat Cummins, he's bowled over 100 overs in this series.
He's battled away with the ball, with the bat in his hands,
in the searing heat.
He's still fighting on for Australia.
Oh, I'm privileged to have bloody Sir Garfield Cummins behind us.
Is there anything that man can't do?
He is...
I know he's got a little sponsorship deal with Gillette,
but is there a more appropriate slogan for a man?
"The best a man can get." You're looking at it.
Look at him.
Thanks, Painey.
And Virat Kohli has declared with a lead of 398.
Mountainous chase ahead for Australia. 399 to win.
Can they find a way to survive? Can they find a way to score?
Out! Finch!
Out. Marcus Harris.
At the moment, our batsmen are falling down.
It seems to be that we've got a long, long way to go to right the wrongs.
Ohh, played on.
Just so symbolic of what's happening with Australia.
You know, we just weren't able to bat for long periods of time.
I think that they need to go away and have a really good think
about what they do when they're under pressure.
Oh, there's an edge there, I think. Up goes the finger.
Another batsman who's in goes out.
Melbourne wasn't ideal. We didn't play all that well.
They came out and put us on the back foot straightaway.
Yeah, that was a really disappointing Test match.
Edge! Gone!
Ishant Sharma does the job. His third for the match.
India win by 137 runs.
They go 2-1 up in the series and they retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
From Perth to then Melbourne was...
..you know, it's the same players, it's the same game, playing against the same team,
and there's not much different things going on, but the result is so different.
I hate losing.
And my body language shows that. I don't like losing.
Like, I suppose, all people, all coaches, I just...
And that's something, an area I've got to keep getting better at.
You know, that was a very, very flat changeroom after that Test match.
You know, I notice things.
You know, I noticed that a lot of guys would sit down,
there'd be little groups sitting together not watching the t...
They weren't up in the viewing area.
Yeah, it just seemed to be... We just...
Even though we had a great win in Perth, it just... I don't know.
Just, we weren't...
Just wasn't feeling right. Wasn't just the result.
Yeah, there was just a lot of frustration that had built up.
And it was a, yeah, very flat changeroom.
I've got Painey to lead the players. They can have a chat.
To see how they're gonna help us go 2-all in the series
and what they make from the game.
And I said to Painey, if there's any honest feedback, very happy to take it.
But I would just like to see them take a bit of ownership, that's all.
We had a team meeting.
More about getting some feedback from the players, how we...
And the players went off and spoke and got some feedback.
They are happy with what they're getting. They're saying...um...
..they can't fault the prep.
They just spoke a bit more about just taking a bit of onus themselves.
That's what they reckon - it's just, under pressure in the middle, shitting the bed.
And then they also spoke about the fact that there is...
..that guys have felt a little bit of the noise from outside.
And there's no doubt guys are listening to what's being said.
And, again, I know you won't agree,
but I think they feel that they want just a little bit more positivity.
They think they know now what they're doing wrong,
but at times they feel they're going out in the middle...
..worrying too much about that.
Yeah, just a slightly more positive message around batting times.
- Righto. Anything else? - But still being honest.
Yeah, whatever. OK. Anything else?
It's always a fine line, actually, as a coach, or with all of us -
when you're emotional, I think it's best to just...
..take a breath
and, you know...and maybe analyse things and reflect on things.
On that day, we probably did, but we probably could have left it a bit longer, I reckon.
Righto. No worries. Thanks, mate. We'll come out in five minutes.
Thanks, mate.
I think at that stage, you know, JL was still fairly new to the role.
It was his first home summer.
He's head selector. He's head coach.
He's basically in charge of finding our culture, our set-up, all these kind of things.
So, I think the hardest challenge is
everyone in the team has different things that make them tick.
So, when you think of JL batting, he likes to get in the fight.
You know, almost the faster the bowling, or the more he gets hit, the more he loves it.
Other batters are the opposite, you know? They just want to relax, be totally chilled out.
So you throw that all together, I think...
..especially the batsmen at times found it hard to just relax
and just concentrate on batting.
The players gave back some honest feedback
and the coaches did the same and then it was all done,
not as an attack towards anyone, but just for the betterment of the team.
And I think once you start those conversations, then...then the team can move forward.
We can't always control...
..the result.
So if we can get better as individuals, players, staff, everyone,
being better at controlling our emotions,
be more level-headed without trying to make it too complicated.
I think that's what the boys are trying to say.
If that makes sense. If it doesn't, then...
Is that coming from specific people?
Um...
I think the boys are intimidated by you, Alf.
Like, I think there's a bit of...yeah...
..walking on eggshells sort of thing.
Um...
Yeah, I think...
You know, you're gonna...
So, you're specifically talking about me?
No, straight up.
I feel like...I think the boys are afraid to say it.
And let me totally clear this up -
this is no way us saying we are losing because of this.
I think the boys are saying things that we can improve on.
We didn't play like shit this game.
Batsmen are not saying that this is gonna make us score hundreds.
That's a different story.
Usi was like the spokesperson of the team.
He is just an honest dude. He'll tell you what he thinks.
And it always comes from a good place.
And that's why I respect him so much.
One of the main feedbacks I got from the playing group
was that, "You have talked to all of us about white noise and, 'It's all white noise,'
"and you say, you know, 'Don't let it affect you. That's mental toughness.'
"But you've let it affect you."
The reality is that I think Warner and Smith covered over the cracks.
They're gonna help when they come back,
but there is still a real dearth of quality long-form batting below them
in Australian cricket at the moment.
The media scrutiny on an Australian cricket team is always intense.
At the moment, I'd defy anybody to pick who the best six batsmen are.
You've got 50 commentators or something,
all with differing opinions, all with throwaway lines.
I mean, there's so much talk about the batting,
but the bowlers, for an attack that's meant to be one of the best in the world,
the numbers don't stack up.
I started blocking out the noise when I first came into the Australian side.
I did relatively well to start,
and then all of a sudden, you know, without changing anything,
my technique had gone from being "unique" to, "This is terrible. Should never be done."
And I made the big mistake of reading all that stuff.
It was a perfect storm of media scrutiny this summer
because of what's happened in South Africa.
Australian cricket, I think, need to stop worrying about being liked
and start worrying about being respected.
Yeah, we might be the most liked team in the world - we're not gonna win shit.
Everyone's wondering, how will they go about it?
But on top of that, you've got a new media rights deal.
So you've got two networks covering the game.
This summer was different
and there was a lot of people on the ground and there was a lot of cameras.
You notice when you're warming up before the start of each day
and, you know, you get a little 10m x 10m bit of grass to warm up on
because there's cameras and leads and cameras going everywhere.
They forget there's a cricket game about to start.
At some stage, it felt like you were in a fishnet.
You couldn't go anywhere. It was so claustrophobic.
The world's gone mad.
The media stuff is out of c...unbelievable.
You're getting out of the car and there's a camera in your face!
And then you get to the ground...
And what was most fascinating this year, which I've never seen before -
every time you walk into a changeroom, there's a big whiteboard
and it's got, in 15-minute increments, everyone's media commitment!
And it was a whole whiteboard!
Like, usually you walk into a cricket changeroom, it might say...
"Watch the ball." "Catches win matches."
This is a whole timetable of everyone's media commitments!
I could not believe it!
The scrutiny on the Australian cricket team is unique.
It's unique in a way that there's not a footy team in the country
that endures the same level of speculation and debate
about, "Should this player bat at number five in a Test side?"
Glenn, it's crystal clear from me and the selectors
what he needs to do to get back in the Test team.
And all the conjecture about it, that's all part of the noise.
So, Glenn knows exactly what he has to do.
To be completely honest, it got to me this year.
And I've been in the business a long time
and I've preached for years, I say, "White noise. Don't worry about it."
- Are you certain that's what happened? - I'm asking you.
- Are you certain that's what happened? - I'm asking, Justin.
- What are you asking? - I'm asking who gave the directive.
Trevor Hohns said he wasn't aware of such a directive.
I'm asking, who on the selection panel did say that to Glenn?
- Did it happen? - That's my question.
Well, you're telling me it did happen. I'm asking you, did it happen?
I had the press conference and I blew up a bit.
I'm asking the q... You're asking me... I'm asking, did it happen?
I didn't blow up, I actually stared at one of the journos
who was asking me about Glenn Maxwell's selection
and I sort of got a bit grumpy.
No. I've got zero knowledge of that.
- No worries. - Alright.
Um, in terms of...
Careless whispers, eh?
I turn up the next day and there's "Langer Management".
And there's talking about how I'm losing it.
"Langer's losing it. He's getting angry.
"He got angry to the players" - which never happened.
"Now he's getting angry with journalists."
And it was like, ohh! And that was where it started.
That's when my wife started going...
.."Mate, I didn't realise this was gonna happen."
Morning. Morning. Hey, Daniel.
Hey.
- Hey, mate. - How's it going?
Good.
We're rolling.
What's the overall feeling after yesterday?
Uh, I think everyone's tired, actually. It was a really tough Test match.
It's been a really... It's been...
I've said from day one it's gonna be a real arm wrestle of a Test series,
and it feels like that.
Disappointing. Tired. Now ready to refresh and get ready for the fourth one.
I don't think players would have known
how I was feeling or how...a lot of it.
Oh, well...I think we were all feeling pretty flat for a long period of that last year.
Hey, Mitch. How are you going, mate?
- Justin Langer. - How are you, Justin?
Welcome, everybody. It's wonderful to have you here at Kirribilli House.
This is a great tradition,
having both of the teams, the Indian team and the Australian national team,
here together at Kirribilli House.
There's a lot to play for in this Test.
If the Indians can secure this Test series, it'll be their first win on Australian soil.
- So, no pressure. No pressure.
But also, that's a great thing for the Australians to defend that record.
And I'm reliably informed that in the Border-Gavaskar series,
going back now over 20 years,
India has won 19, Australia has won 18 and there are nine draws.
So, looking forward, Justin and Tim, to seeing that levelled off
as we wrap up the Test series here in Sydney.
- Hello. Hello... - Hello, Justin.
- G'day, Coach. - How are you, mate?
Good, good.
It's not the same on the big screen. That's all I'm gonna say.
- It's what? - It's not the same...
..when it's not on the big screen.
- I don't get it. - A Star Is Born.
- Yeah, he said that. - It's not the same, mate.
Ooh. Just a little damp.
I think it'll be good when we get to bat on it.
We knew from day one it was gonna be an arm wrestle.
We knew it was going to be tough. They're the best team in the world.
They've got some conditions that are suiting them.
All that, we knew it. We knew it from day one. But we also knew what our game plan was.
And you know what? We've been bloody close.
The only thing is - Finchy knows this - Finchy is not playing this Test match.
We've had a good talk about it, mate.
It's time to recharge your batteries
to get ready for the one-dayers now and to help us win the World Cup.
The only thing for me, boys, is there's been a lot of distractions.
There's that old saying - you're never as good or as bad as people say you are.
Two weeks ago, we had a brilliant Test win against India.
We were all celebrating. We were singing the song.
One week later...
..it's like we're the worst cricket team in the world again.
Winning can paper over some stuff.
Losing, all of a sudden, you know, we've got a bad vibe in the team,
we've got, you know, cultural... the selectors have got no idea what we're doing.
Da, da, da, da, da... All that noise.
And we've said from day one it is all noise.
# Australians all, let us... #
Australia needed to win the toss in Sydney.
I've been at a couple of overseas venues at the toss
where Australia desperately needed to win and choose,
and when they have, there's this great sense of relief -
"Alright. We're in the Test match."
When that coin fell India's way, there was a sigh.
So, the news from the middle is that India have won the toss
and have elected to bat first.
I reckon there was a sigh in the middle.
There was definitely a sigh in the stands.
And here in Sydney, when you lose a toss, you've got to make inroads with that new ball.
What you want against a Subcontinent team
is a bit of pace, a bit of pace and bounce,
and, you know, they were quite slow wickets.
Melbourne was bouncing that high.
This was probably bouncing that high.
Danger signs for the Australians, I think.
And then Pujara battered us, just battered us into oblivion.
That is a magnificent 100 from Pujara.
His third of the series.
This man just bats...
..and bats...and bats.
India well and truly in control.
I hate the word comfortable.
Because if you're comfortable,
that means it can be taken away... ..like that.
Aren't you bored yet?
So I was trying to make him feel comfortable. "Oh, are you bored yet?" Like, "Come on." Like...
All he said was, "No, bro."
Which drove me nuts.
And India in total control.
At stumps on day one, 4/303.
Alright, how was that?
I felt like we were pretty flat...
..for a Test match.
Playing for your country, I thought we were pretty...pretty flat and pretty poor.
We got some decent spells together. And we looked like getting wickets.
But we weren't aggressive, hitting that wicket long enough.
And we usually are. Aren't we?
Where was that? Why?
We're playing a fucking Test match that matters! Something that really fucking matters!
Because it could be 2-all and we're going, "We're fuckin' flat"!
We can't be flat! And we can't be non-aggressive!
Where's that aggression, lads? It's got to come tomorrow.
It's got to!
And there's no fucking flatness from anybody!
The start of day two.
India are on the verge of making history here at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
For the Australians, they need to make early inroads,
or else India are gonna keep batting and it will be tough going.
Pujara broke them. He ground them down.
And they just ran out of puff.
You can see the fatigue in the Australians' bowling attack.
They're just getting the life sucked out of them.
The pain is getting piled on the Aussies now.
And there's the sign from Virat Kohli.
He's decided that 622 on the board is absolutely fine for him.
We can't fault your effort. No doubt about it, we cannot fault your effort.
Days like this are very sobering, eh?
Conditions certainly are as tough as they get for bowling,
which is disappointing from our point of view.
But we've seen in the last two days, probably the first two days in Melbourne,
we're still a fair way off being the best team in the world.
We're in day two.
The best thing about it is you all get the chance to have a crack at it.
As we've said for nine months, is make Australians proud of us,
make each other proud of us and bat our arse off.
That's what Australians want to see from you.
This is probably the flattest wicket we've had of the summer.
If you're ever gonna make some runs, this is the time to do it.
Chocked it on, and it's all over for Harris.
It's taken!
All falling apart again for the Australians.
Bowled him! Beautiful bowling!
It is crumbling before your very eyes.
The last time Australia was asked to follow on was 150 Tests ago for Australia.
Amazing.
There was a sense that Australia had lost its way again, that there'd been some false dawns.
They were tired. They were worn down.
A pivotal moment for me
was that we were at breakfast on day three of the Sydney Test match against India.
And I've known my wife since I was 14 years old, right?
So, we've known each other a long time.
And we're sitting at breakfast and she starts crying.
I said, "What are you crying about?"
Like, my wife doesn't cry, mate. I don't... She's sort of been in this game...
And she got really upset. She goes, "I just don't like what it's doing to you.
"I don't like what it's doing. I just... You're not smiling. I just..."
And she was really...she was abs... she was crying, mate.
And that was a massive wake-up call for me.
It was really tough. Like, it really got to me.
Very light rain falling at the SCG at the moment.
They're held up by this rain delay,
but you sense, you know, that Australia's cause is gone.
- Cheers, boys. All the best. - Cheers, mate.
What a fizzer of a way to finish.
India deserved its 3-1 result.
It deserved something more than the umpires walking into the changerooms
and saying, "Congratulations. We're calling the game.
"You've drawn this and won the series."
They outplayed us.
You know, they had guys scoring hundreds, and big hundreds,
and we didn't, and it was disappointing.
You know, and India winning, I think, the first time in Australia, to be a part of that,
yeah, it stings a bit.
I think especially when it's on Australian soil.
That's only the second series that I've lost, I think, in Tests, Test cricket.
You're meant to win Test series in Australia, playing as the Australian cricket team.
To be honest, India outplayed us. They were hungry.
I've never seen an Indian team fight like that before.
In 1993, I got dropped from the Australian cricket team for the first time,
and I was shattered in '93, mate.
It was a dark time.
But I look back on the darkest periods of my career and they are the best periods.
They are the best periods of my cricket career. Because I had to learn, I had to get better.
And I am absolutely certain in 10 years' time
I'll look back on Christmas and New Year of this year
and think, "That was a really dark time, but I'm so glad I went through it."
It'll be the catalyst for me being a much better coach.
Thanks, everyone, for being here.
No doubt it's been a tough couple of weeks for everybody.
We've now found it necessary to revamp our Test squad
for the series against Sri Lanka coming up very soon.
Obviously, we're looking now after the Indian series
to shore up our top order.
So, Joe Burns has a record in Test cricket.
He's scored hundreds. There's no doubt about that. And he has been in good form.
We also have Jhye Richardson. He's seen as a very bright prospect.
So, these guys have got the opportunity to cement a place,
or at least make it difficult for us to leave them out.
- Alright. Thanks very much, everyone. - Thank you, guys.
Thank you.
The thing that struck me most about coming back into the Australian cricket team
is how it is so much about just the individuals.
Like, I can't believe it.
I'm shocked. I'm shocked.
We needed to make changes. We had lost a big series.
We hadn't batted well enough.
Joe Burns came in. Jhye Richardson came into the side.
How would it be received if we put Kurtis Patterson into the Test squad?
If we honestly - and you're the selector - think in your gut he's in our best six...
.."You're in."
He's got runs. Like, if he's in it... We can't lose this Test match.
The very first session when I got into Brisbane on that Monday morning,
JL sat everyone down and made a big point that for this series it's "we", not "I".
We have to all get better as a whole business,
but as a team, it's got to be more about "we".
We are gonna come to the ground together
and we are gonna leave the ground together.
Now, that's gonna bugger the shit out of a lot of you. That's OK.
I remember having a heated discussion here. "That's not how we usually do it."
Exactly! Exactly!
And I remember saying to Gav, our manager,
"You've got to trust me on this. You start... You've got to trust me."
"Yeah. No worries. No worries, mate."
So we started doing little things, little behaviours
so we are doing it together.
I'll never forget this - we turned up to Gabba for the first Test against Sri Lanka
and we drove into the Gabba and we drove under the grandstand,
and I thought to myself, "Imagine if we lose to Sri Lanka."
Oh! Mate!
But I also remember it clear as day - day one, going, "Oh, how good's this?
"We don't have to bowl to Pujara. We don't have to bowl to Kohli.
"Bumrah's not playing. Oh!"
Ladies and gentlemen, a very good afternoon.
Welcome to the Gabba for the first Domain Test between Australia and Sri Lanka.
It felt to me like Australia was on a hiding to nothing going into the Sri Lankan series,
but what changed that dynamic was the selection of the next generation.
When I got told I was gonna play, all these things start going through your head.
"What if I play, I don't perform so well? What happens next?
"I don't take a wicket. I don't have a Test wicket."
But when you get your first wicket, it puts all of that to rest.
Edge. Taken!
Joe Burns with a catch to his left. A very good one.
The first Test wicket for Jhye Richardson.
All of the relief has just come out
and now I can just enjoy it and go, "Wow. How good was that?"
Thank you very much! Richardson.
His second wicket in Test cricket.
He's one of the new gen... He loves the Play... Is it called a PlayStation?
He actually carries his monitor round. He carries a TV monitor!
People think, you know, as a parent, "You don't want to spend too much time on the PlayStation."
But I actually love it, 'cause he's playing games all the time,
so he actually loves playing games, and cricket's a game.
Edged away. Beautiful bowling.
And for Richardson, that's number three!
And Sri Lanka all out for 144
into the third session of play on day one.
No matter how dark a place you think you've come from
and things, whether they're working or they're not working,
and we're trying new, different things,
you also can't get away from the excitement of someone making their Test debut.
Richo, how many messages did you have on your phone?
Um...I had 92 text messages.
Did you?
How many Instagram followers did you get? Any new ones?
I'll tell you in a sec. I haven't looked at Instagram yet.
No, not many.
- Not many? - Nuh.
Oh, no, a few. 800. 700, 800.
It's "we", not "me".
There's a big difference there.
If you start concentrating on the Australian team and your mates, it's amaz...
..it's amazing the pressure it takes off.
Oh... Oh, what a catch!
Oh!
On debut, Patterson!
A number of the guys that came in did a fantastic job
and showed that they've got a huge future in Test cricket.
Another guy, Will Pucovski, who didn't play but was in around our group, is now a 21-year-old.
It's exciting for an older guy, 'cause I then try and keep up with them and challenge them.
And, you know, whether we're training or running or in the gym,
it brings the best out of you.
To Griezmann.
Whoa! What a shot!
I told you I'd get you. How good is that?
There's the Test match.
There is the Test victory for Australia.
And innings-and-40-run victory.
Magnificent performance by the Aussies.
You can start seeing it through the TV set.
How many people said, "Gee, it looks like the boys get on well together"?
"God, they're playing together."
Yeah, no surprise, because the focus is about the team.
We talk about the way we did really good stuff.
Awesome win. Canberra's gonna be a bit different. It's gonna be tough work.
Just make sure you do everything, get ready to take 'em on and go 2-0 up in the series, OK?
And it just felt like a more settled unit.
The only thing that hadn't really been done was win a series
and for some batsmen to make some hundreds.
An opportunity is a wonderful thing.
To get the call to say that I was in the Sri Lankan Test squad,
mate, when you get the chance to pull on the baggy green and you go out on the field,
you'd do anything just to make everyone proud and to put in a good performance.
Ooh, it's a quick single. He goes.
And he gets it. The first Test 100 of the summer.
And it goes to Joe Burns.
And it's days like that that are really special that you never forget.
And when you're playing a game that you love and representing your country,
there's nothing better in this game.
A magnificent innings by Joe Burns. 180.
Well done, mate. Well done.
Well done, mate. Awesome. Great stuff.
I went through a stage in my first-class career
where I think I got five 90s before I got a first-class 100
and I literally thought that it was never gonna happen.
And the drive. Gets the full toss.
The magical moment arrives with a boundary.
Travis Head, his maiden hundred for Australia.
Yes, it was great,
but I guess that sense of feeling of relief and how amazing it was
probably didn't sink in until after the Test match.
Because I'm there to get a hundred. Like, that's my job.
It's through. Kurtis Patterson, the magical moment for the elegant left-hander.
His maiden ton.
It's a big moment for him, but also for the parents and the family.
Throughout my entire schooling life,
I just loved cricket and I loved going down to the nets.
Dad never asked me to go for a hit, but any time I asked him, he never said no.
He just made it all about enjoyment, and that was always the main focus.
And that's something that I can look back on with a lot of gratitude,
because it really just fuelled my love for the game.
Thanks, Coach. Thanks, mate.
Yeah!
And there you go. You heard it from Usman Khawaja, the celebration.
Eighth Test century. Sixth in Australia.
Well done, Usman.
It was just a really tough time, the summer.
A lot of stuff happening back home with family.
And I knew I could do it, but JL, he had the confidence in me
to tell me that he thought he could do it too, and he backed me the whole way,
and that was massive.
I owe him a lot, 'cause he actually, you know, whether it's off the field or on the field, he...
..it always feels like he's got my back.
We've got Test centurions. We've got Jhye Richardson taking wickets.
Mitchell Starc, who'd been under massive scrutiny all summer,
takes 10 wickets for the game.
And publicly, we've been backing him the whole time.
So you go, "Oh, awesome.
"There's a bit of hope here."
Straight through him! Knocks him over!
Starc gets five for the innings, 10 for the match,
and Australia wrap up the series two Tests to zero.
A difficult summer in Test Match cricket comes to a very nice end.
Australia needed a glimmer of hope at the end of the summer,
and out of those Sri Lankan Tests, it came.
We're going to India with a bit of hope and a bit of light at the end of the tunnel.
Nice feeling.
On a serious note - and I bet you no-one else in this circle will know this...
This is disappointing. We've had a security breach this week.
It was the evening on day one.
We actually had a look-alike come into the changeroom.
I could not believe it.
One, I thought it was the coach.
And I know there was a couple of other staff members
and a few players thought it was the coach.
- But he had a smile on his face.
There's a lot of staff and there's a lot of players and there's a lot of families
that put in a lot of time and a lot of work into the Australian cricket team.
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to Jetstar flight...
You sacrifice a lot, no doubt,
but, you know, I think for us who are actually doing it,
it's not that bad, because we love doing it.
I think it's...you know, a lot of the sacrifice is back on your families.
And, you know, I know my wife, for instance, was at home for a lot of the time
with two kids under two.
She sent me a text and said...
.."I told them Dad's on his way home."
They're tears of joy. Tears of joy.
It's felt really quick for me, the last 12 months.
I'm honoured to be Test captain of Australia.
You know, it's absolutely massive for me and my family and my friends.
As I've said before, I'm just a captain of a cricket team
and I want to make sure I'm enjoying it.
Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!
- - Hey! Who's that?
Oh, I've missed you!
Next on The Test...
I love playing in India. It heightens all your senses.
Who dealt that?
Camaraderie is great, but at the end of the day, we've still got to win games.
I'd wake up in the middle of the night thinking about getting out.
You don't have to be the captain, you don't have to be anything else. Be Finchy, mate.
I've played one game for Australia and I've got no bloody idea what's going on.
Yes!
You beauty!