Indians were unlucky to edge: O’Keefe

It‘s amazing how things can quickly change over here. I was none for 30 off nine overs, probably didn‘t bowl very well at all in my first six overs. And then, it all just happened really quickly, and I guess that‘s the sort of wicket it is. 

We played and missed a lot of balls and fortunately for us, they nicked them and we caught them. So it was a good day to be a part of and well finished off by the batters,“ said O‘Keefe after finishing with figures of six for 35. 

The 32-year-old said India, who were shot out for 105 in reply to Australia‘s first innings score of 260, thanks to his heroics, can still fight back with three days left. “It hasn‘t really sunk in yet. It will, if that contributes to a win. 

Right now, we‘ll enjoy we had a good day, but that‘s all it is. It was a good day‘s cricket. We all know how good this Indian team is, how well they can bat, and even in spinning conditions they are exceptional players,” said O’Keefe. 

“They‘re all match winners, they‘re top seven, you‘d even argue Jadeja, the top 8, so we have our work cut out for us. We are 300 ahead, let‘s get more and let‘s create 10 chances tomorrow and hold on to it,“ he said. 

O‘Keefe, who created mayhem after change of ends, said it was just looking at India‘s Ravichandran Ashwin bowling his overs from the opposite end that helped in deciding to ask his team‘s offie, the experienced Nathan Lyon, to do so. “We were debating it in the changing rooms. 

Mitchell Starc and I didn‘t really care which end we bowled at. The idea was for Mitch to create some footmarks for Nathan outside off stump at that end, so I think the move was just to bowl Nathan from that end because that‘s the end that Ashwin  bowled his overs from,” said the Aussie spinner.