It would be fair to say the India has batted badly, bowled badly and fielded terribly in both the tests. Little wonder they're down 2-0.
At the halfway mark the team risks losing their No.1 tag but let's face it, you don't become No.1 till you win a series in Australia, South Africa and England. And with the kind of batting and bowling display that India have shown, there's little chance they'll ever win a series in these countries.
Ravi Shastri made a very pertinent comment last night when he suggested that the BCCI look at the quality of pitches in home conditions. Most former players have been suggesting this for quite sometime, but for some strange reason, the BCCI has turned a blind eye to this cause. And the results are there for all to see.
While they'll do what they do, the team needs to focus with resources at hand. No doubt the return of Sehwag and Zaheer will bolster the Indian attack but then they just returning from injuries and can't be expected to win matches, straightaway.
While lack of a proper fourth bowler has cut down the chances to take 20 wickets, shoddy batting hasn't really helped India's cause. One after the other, all batsmen have either fallen caught behind or have been bounced out.
Which brings to mind the series in 2007-08 in Australia which India lost 2-1. All of us were witness to how India lost the second test. More credit to Bucknor than anyone else.
But what really stands out is the batting that India put up. Twice India scored in excess of 500 and came close to scoring more than 300 runs thrice (twice in the second innings).
Recall, very clearly, the stance adopted by the batsmen against the Aussie bowlers. Anything and everything outside the off stump was let go. They didn't even nibble at it. That made the Aussie bowlers come in closer to the stumps and the moment they closed in, they were either driven or flicked on the leg side. This meditative approach provided great results. Four centuries were scored and the lower order too contributed splendidly with these tactics.
Wonder if Sachin and Co. recall this and would like to employ the same tactics against England now. At 0-2, the team is up against the wall and nothing less than a 2-2 score would suffice to retain the numero uno position.
At the halfway mark the team risks losing their No.1 tag but let's face it, you don't become No.1 till you win a series in Australia, South Africa and England. And with the kind of batting and bowling display that India have shown, there's little chance they'll ever win a series in these countries.
Ravi Shastri made a very pertinent comment last night when he suggested that the BCCI look at the quality of pitches in home conditions. Most former players have been suggesting this for quite sometime, but for some strange reason, the BCCI has turned a blind eye to this cause. And the results are there for all to see.
While they'll do what they do, the team needs to focus with resources at hand. No doubt the return of Sehwag and Zaheer will bolster the Indian attack but then they just returning from injuries and can't be expected to win matches, straightaway.
While lack of a proper fourth bowler has cut down the chances to take 20 wickets, shoddy batting hasn't really helped India's cause. One after the other, all batsmen have either fallen caught behind or have been bounced out.
Which brings to mind the series in 2007-08 in Australia which India lost 2-1. All of us were witness to how India lost the second test. More credit to Bucknor than anyone else.
But what really stands out is the batting that India put up. Twice India scored in excess of 500 and came close to scoring more than 300 runs thrice (twice in the second innings).
Recall, very clearly, the stance adopted by the batsmen against the Aussie bowlers. Anything and everything outside the off stump was let go. They didn't even nibble at it. That made the Aussie bowlers come in closer to the stumps and the moment they closed in, they were either driven or flicked on the leg side. This meditative approach provided great results. Four centuries were scored and the lower order too contributed splendidly with these tactics.
Wonder if Sachin and Co. recall this and would like to employ the same tactics against England now. At 0-2, the team is up against the wall and nothing less than a 2-2 score would suffice to retain the numero uno position.
I think the 'pitch' debate raised by Ravi Shastri is pointless. Each country should have its own 'pitch' character and just as English pitches are difficult to deal with for our team, the opposite is true when they come visiting.
ReplyDeleteYes, there is a gradual shift from spinning wickets to batting wickets in the last decade. But the fourth and fifth day pitches in most grounds are nearly unplayable for Australians, South Africans and English. In my opinion, it is only because our spinners suck at their job, BCCI doesn't make the minefields anymore (remember the SA test of Nagpur, which earned a pitch ban later).
And about the stance adjustment, yes, the point seems totally valid. May be the elders are tired of doing the same thing all over again and are giving up subconsciously.