Stop whining and play your game: Mark Taylor’s success mantra for Australia in Border Gavaskar Trophy

India vs Australia: Former Australia captain Mark Taylor has said that if the Pat Cummins side wants to win in the subcontinent, they have to stop whining and focus on their game.

David Warner and Alex Carey chat ahead of the 1st Test match. (PTI Photo)

By India Today Web Desk: Former Australia captain Mark Taylor has advised Australia to stop whining and focus on their game if they want to be successful in the subcontinent. The Border-Gavaskar Trophy has had a heated build-up to the first Test match at Nagpur, where the pitch has been the main focus. With India expected to prepare turning tracks, former Australian cricketers like Ian Healy have commented that the visiting side will have a fair chance at winning if India prepared sporting pitches.

Mark Taylor however, in his column for the Sydney Morning Herald has written that the Australian team should block all the chatter about pitches and focus on the game.

“Australia have to block that out and say, ‘We’re playing on the same pitch as India over the next four or five days. We’ve got to make more runs.’ That’s as simple as you’ve got to keep it,” Mark Taylor wrote in his column published on Febuary 9, just ahead of the Test match.

“Firstly, you’ve got to put all the negatives behind you; stop looking for reasons why you don’t win. Forget about that,” Taylor explained the mantra behind winning Test matches in India.

Stating that Australia have to focus on playing good cricket over long periods of time, Taylor said that the Pat Cummins side need to be mentally strong.

“Mentally you’ve got to stay in the game. When it gets hot over there, Virat Kohli hits a couple of fours and the crowd starts chanting, all of a sudden, the game can get away from you very quickly,” Taylor warned Australia.

The Australian team won the toss at Nagpur and elected to bat first. At Lunch, the team had lost 2 wickets and had 76 runs on board. Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne had successfully negotiated the Indian spinners in the first session of Day 1.