When Alex Carey quit Australian rules football, he probably thought that his days of physical hits and injuries were behind him.
Australia’s Test wicketkeeper, Alex Carey, had left behind the days of hard knocks and bruises from playing Australian rules football. However, he has now put his body on the line during the Test match in India and has been acknowledged for his critical contribution in turning the third Test in his side’s favor with an unnoticed display of glove-work.
Steve Smith and Usman Khawaja took two momentum-shifting catches that played a significant role in Australia’s victory in Indore. However, Australia believes that another less flashy but equally critical piece of fielding by Alex Carey set the tone for India’s rare defeat on their home ground.
Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill had rapidly scored 27 runs before Matthew Kuhnemann’s delivery turned sharply, causing Rohit to miss the ball. Steve Smith, at first slip, thought he was going to catch the ball himself due to its spin.
Carey remained calm and collected and managed to stump the batsman.
“Instinct takes over when you see a ball bounce like that,” Carey said. “I don’t think many of us were expecting an eight-degree turning ball that early in the game.
Alex Carey’s crucial stumping, which was his second in 18 Tests, was identified by coach Andrew McDonald as a significant moment in the match, according to reports. The stumping, which dismissed opener Rohit Sharma, allowed Australia to gain momentum, with McDonald crediting Carey’s keeping skills for the win. Carey’s first stumping was in Delhi.
Coach Andrew McDonald praised Alex Carey’s keeping skills and identified his stumping of Rohit Sharma as a critical moment in the third Test match against India. McDonald believed that if Carey had not executed the stumping, Sharma could have played differently, and the game could have taken a different direction. He also commended Carey’s performance on day one of the match and described it as an “absolute clinic.” McDonald cautioned against being too quick to criticize wicketkeepers and emphasized the importance of their contributions to the game.
Andrew McDonald praised Alex Carey’s performance as a wicketkeeper in the third Test match against India. He compared Carey’s performance to that of India’s keeper KS Bharat and believed that Carey’s stumping of Rohit Sharma was a key moment in the game. McDonald credited Carey’s execution of the stumping for giving Australia control of the match and setting the tone for their eventual victory.
The stumping came after Australia had missed two review appeals against Rohit Sharma earlier in the first hour of the match. Carey commented that it was a relief to get the stumping, as he feared Sharma might have gone on to make a big score. The conditions were challenging throughout the match, but the stumping helped Australia gain momentum and go on to secure the win.
Carey was also hit in the helmet by a delivery from Kuhnemann that bounced off the pitch sharply. This incident reminded Carey of a similar incident in which he was hit in the grille by the first ball bowled by Nathan Lyon during their Test series against Sri Lanka in Galle last year.
Alex Carey’s impressive record of not conceding many byes has also been a crucial factor. Since 2006, only two visiting wicketkeepers in India have conceded fewer byes in a series of at least three Tests than Carey’s 17 in this campaign.
In India’s first innings, Carey did not concede any byes. In contrast, Bharat conceded nine byes in India’s first innings. This is more than the total runs scored by Australia’s last five batters in their first innings.
When asked about the challenging pitch at the Holkar Stadium, Carey acknowledged that getting hit in the head by a Kuhnemann delivery was similar to his experience in Galle. He also emphasized the importance of not conceding byes in helping the scoreboard and mentioned that it can add up to an extra batter on the pitch. Carey also joked about the bruises he received on his shoulders while keeping wickets.
Carey’s batting has come under scrutiny during his debut Test series since taking over from ex-skipper Tim Paine at the start of the 2021-22 Ashes.
The work he has put in since taking over as Test captain has shown in this series, with a leg-side catch off Virat Kohli on the first ball after the dinner break on day two in Nagpur another notable moment.
Tim Nielsen, Ian Healy, Brad Haddin, and Adam Gilchrist have all had a significant effect on Carey’s glovework, according to him.
Carey highlighted the importance of preparation before coming to India. He said that he regularly speaks to players who have played in India before and gets a feel for the conditions. The wicketkeeper also mentioned that training wickets have been difficult, which has helped him prepare for the matches. He explained that in Australia, the nets are shorter, and keepers often stand back, but in India, it’s important to get stuck in, get dirty, and understand that it’s going to be a tough tour behind the stumps.
