Former Australian pacer Mitchell Johnson hit out at Team India for their tactics during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Johnson criticized India’s attempts to intimidate Australia’s debutants, claiming the strategy backfired as Australia won the Test series 3-1.
Mitchell Johnson pointed out that Team India tried to unsettle the debutants to take advantage of their inexperience, but young players like Sam Konstas and Beau Webster stood tall, showing remarkable composure and delivering outstanding performances under pressure in the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.
Mitchell Johnson criticizes the Indian team’s failed attempts to break Australia’s Sam Konstas and Beau Webster
The former pacer also noted that India’s plan was not only to test the technical ability of newcomers like Sam Konstas and Beau Webster, but also to challenge their mental strength, with the aim of making them feel isolated and vulnerable on the big stage.
Johnson pointed out that the Indians focused on creating an intimidating atmosphere, but their efforts ultimately fell flat as Australia’s young stars thrived in the high-stakes environment and came out stronger and more resilient to help Australia reclaim the BGT after more than 10 years.
Their efforts didn’t really pay off: Mitchell Johnson
In his column for The Nightly, Mitchell Johnson wrote: “The Indian side seem to have adopted a ‘two against 11’ mindset in the middle, with the aim of making the Australian batsmen feel isolated and under pressure. The focus was not only on testing technical skills, but also on challenging mental toughness. In Test cricket, it’s crucial to create that environment, but their efforts haven’t really paid off.”
At the Border-Gavaskar Trophy test in Sydney 2024-2025. tensions were rising, with Australia head coach Andrew McDonald accusing India of trying to intimidate Sam Konstas. Later, India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir rejected the claim, saying Konstas had no reason to interfere in the dispute between them Jasprit Bumrah and Usman Khawaja.
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Mitchell Johnson is backing Sam Konstas to back Usman Khawaja against Jasprit Bumrah at the SCG
However, Mitchell Johnson backed Konstas for defending his team-mate Usman Khawaja, but felt the situation could have been handled more calmly in India and Australia in the New Year’s Test at the SCG. The former fiery pacer also feels that the senior Australian players should have guided the newcomers in handling such high-pressure scenarios.
Johnson went on to note, “I appreciate what Konstas was trying to do in supporting his teammate, but it just wasn’t the right time for that kind of involvement. At that late stage of the day, there could only be one winner. This highlights a key aspect of introducing new players to the team: they need the guidance of experienced teammates to understand how to deal with different scenarios within the dynamics of the game.”
Namely, tensions flared when Sam Konstas exchanged words with Jasprit Bumrah during Australia’s first innings in the final Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). The Indian pacer was frustrated with Usman Khawaja allegedly delaying the game before the session closed.
In the same over, Bumrah dismissed Khawaja and then he and his India teammates marched towards Konstas to vent their frustration. However, Bumrah was unable to bowl in the second innings after suffering a back spasm and India lost the SCG Test by six wickets to Australia.
