India vs AustraliaThe change of ball made all the difference in Indore Test, says Dinesh Karthik

India wicket-keeping batter Dinesh Karthik said the change of ball on Day 3 made all the difference in the Indore Test. Australia beat India by 9 wickets in the third Test of the four-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy to qualify for the World Test Championship.

Speaking to Cricbuzz after the match, Karthik said Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is a momentum bowler, and troubled Travis Head a lot after he picked up the first wicket.

“Ashwin is a momentum bowler, when he gets a wicket, he generally adds two-three in his spell. Ashwin after that first wicket bowled a lot of balls that troubled Head,” said Karthik.

The 37-year-old said Ashwin bowled wel but the change of ball made all the difference for India on Day 3 at the Holkar Stadium in Indore. Australia chased down India’s target of 76 runs in the first session of Day 3.

“Ashwin bowled really well in the first 10 overs, kept good length, but the moment they changed that ball, they were not happy with the ball, probably the stitches had given a little way near the leather,” Karthik added.

He went on to say that the changed ball was not as hard as India expected, adding that after this change, the game turned in Australia’s favor.

“The changed ball made a lot of difference. It was not as hard as they expected. Probably, it didn’t have the bite the ball could have had if it was harder. From then on things just turned completely Australia’s way,” said Karthik.

Karthik said Travis Head did not look back after hitting Ashwin for a couple of boundaries in the 11th over, and shifted the pressure back on India.

“It was critical over in the sense he gave away two loose balls a bit fuller and from that moment Travis Head didn’t look back. He said that’s it, I’m on the charge now. I feel good, my defence is coming well. You make a small error and the batter pounces on it. Yes, you’re chasing a low target, so pressure was different. But Head made sure the moment he got those boundaries, he didn’t look back,” said Karthik.