Virat Kohli's bunny in ODIs, Jhye Richardson gets Test call-up for Sri Lanka series

Jhye Richardson, the right-arm pacer from Western Australia made a name for himself in the three-match series against India. His 4/26 gave Australia a 34-run win in Sydney and he impressed in the games in Adelaide and Melbourne. More importantly, he got Virat Kohli, the Indian cricket skipper out in all three games. His exploits could not help Australia win the series but the youngster has been named as a late replacement in the Australian Test squad for the upcoming two matches against Sri Lanka after Josh Hazlewood was forced to withdraw due to a back injury.

Hazlewood was diagnosed with an early stage stress fracture on his back and this has resulted in his withdrawal from the series as he attempts to regain fitness. Richardson, who was Australia’s leading wicket-taker in the ODI series with six behind Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s tally of eight, admitted that it is a ‘bittersweet situation’ to be in. “It’s about being adaptable. I like to run in and bowl fast, but sometimes that’s not what’s needed. I might need to come in and stem the flow the runs or build some pressure. I think I’m learning how to do that better, especially over the past year in Shield cricket. I think that’s the joy of my career so far, I’ve learned how to deal with things that have popped up quickly. A couple of years ago everything happened in such a whirlwind, I went from nowhere to stepping up and playing international cricket for Australia,” Richardson was quoted by Cricket Australia’s official website.

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Richardson was part of the Test squad during the side’s controversial tour of South Africa in 2018, in a series marred by the ball-tampering scandal in Cape Town that saw one-year bans being handed to Steve Smith and David Warner. The fall-out resulted in Coach Darren Lehmann resigning and several members of Cricket Australia’s top brass resigning after an Ethics Committee report slammed the culture of Cricket Australia.

For Richardson, it was a chance to soak up all the knowledge watching the likes of Kagiso Rabada, Morne Morkel and Vernon Philander from close quarters. In the Sheffield Shield season, he has taken 27 wickets in five games at an average of 19.03 with his best being 8/47. Speaking about the experience, Richardson said, “It was a great learning experience from a cricket point of view, to be able to see the way Test cricket works and how grueling it is. It’s called Test cricket for a reason. You might be called upon to bowl 40-plus overs for the game, just like in Shield cricket it’s pretty taxing on your body. That’s the joy of it. Shield cricket this year, I’ve really enjoyed the long spells and challenging myself to become a long-format bowler.”

Australia’s first Test will be in Brisbane and it will be a Pink Ball Test, a format where both teams are undefeated. The series will conclude with the second Test at the newest Test venue of Canberra.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Australia and Sri Lanka are undefeated in Pink Ball Tests
• Jhye Richardson dismissed Virat Kohli all three times
• Josh Hazlewood is out due to a back stress fracture