PTI
Melbourne, Jan 23: Legendary leg-spinner Shane Warne has said Australia cared too much about their image in the Perth cricket Test and lost the edge without their trademark aggression.
Warne said the main weapon for Australia was their aggressive body language on the field and by being careful of their conduct after the Sydney fiasco, they found it difficult to curb the Indians.
"There have been some suggestions that Australia lost their edge and were too concerned about their image going into Perth. Sport is about passion and attitude and knowing yourself. Australia play best when they get in the face of the opposition and are very aggressive," Warne wrote in his column for The Daily Telegraph.
"Maybe they were not as aggressive in their body language in Perth as they normally are, but I think that was the nature of this Test, in which they were behind for most of the game," he said.
Warne appreciated India's effort to stop Australia from getting to their 17th consecutive Test win. The former Aussie spinner hailed Indian captain Anil Kumble's feat of capturing 600 Test wickets, saying the Indian leggie was a true champion.
"Congratulations to Kumble on joining the 600 wickets club. He is one of the most competitive opposition players I have ever played against, a true champion and a credit to the game and his family."
"He is very strong mentally. There were times when everyone wrote him off, but to his credit he stayed true to himself and stuck to his style," Warne wrote.
About the fourth and final Test in Adelaide, Warne predicted that while India would include Harbhajan Singh, Australia will rely on chinaman bowler Brad Hogg. "The Australia Day Test match in Adelaide is going to be a cracker and I'm sure the players will be looking forward to playing on a great pitch, and runs are going to flow."
"India's two spinners will play, so even better, and Australia will recall Hogg. The toss is crucial in this Test, as we saw last year against England. It starts to get tough from late on day four. If India win the toss and their batting line-up fires, what a contest it will be.''
"If Australia win the toss and bat well, India will be under pressure, because they have to win to level the series," he said.