‘Efforts didn’t pay off’ – Mitchell Johnson takes aim at India after Australia’s series win

Former Australian pace bowler Mitchell Johnson has come out and taken a major dig at the Indian cricket team. The 43-year-old while writing in his column for ‘The Nightly’ said that India’s tactics of trying to create mental pressure on Australia didn’t work out. According to Johnson, those efforts didn’t pay off as the home team came off better in the mental aspect as well. 

Mitchell Johnson wrote, “The Indian side appeared to embrace the mindset that it was 'two against 11' out in the middle, aiming to make the Aussie batters feel isolated and under pressure. The focus was not just on testing technical skills but also on challenging mental toughness. In Test cricket, it's crucial to create that environment, but their efforts didn't really pay off.”

After a slow start to the series, matters began to heat up from the Adelaide Test match. Mohammed Siraj was given a 20% fine on his match fees after his altercation with Travis Head. This was followed by the clash between Virat Kohli and Sam Konstas during the MCG Test match. Konstas also clashed with Jasprit Bumrah in the final few minutes of the opening day during the SCG Test match. 

Mitchell Johnson gives advice to Sam Konstas

In his column for ‘The Nightly’ Johnson also advised Sam Konstas on picking and choosing his battles. The 43-year-old wrote that Konstas going after Bumrah towards the end of the day wasn’t needed and he was wrong in doing so. After his words with the Indian pacer, Usman Khawaja lost his wicket in the next ball. 

Johnson wrote “I appreciate what Konstas was trying to do by supporting his teammate, but it was simply the wrong time for that kind of engagement. At that late stage of the day, there could only be one winner,"

The 43-year-old ended by writing “This highlights a crucial aspect of introducing new players to the team: they need the guidance of experienced teammates to understand how to handle various scenarios within the game's dynamics”. Sam Konstas played a key role in Australia’s 6 wicket win at the SCG on Sunday. The young batter scored 22 off 17 balls as the home team chased down the 162 needed for a win just after lunch.