New Delhi: India’s 30-run loss to South Africa in the first Test at the Eden Gardens has opened a can of worms, with a flood of criticism directed towards coach Gautam Gambhir. He had asked for a certain kind of surface at the Eden Gardens, which turned out to be an “underprepared pitch.” Questions have also been raised about whether the current crop of Indian batters is well-equipped against quality spin and why the team management is not confident about playing specialists in Test cricket.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Former India batter Manoj Tiwary questioned the technique of the Indian batters against spin and on surfaces where there is more than average turn.
“This is not the first time that they have not been able to score runs on a spin-friendly wicket,” he told TimesofIndia.com.“The reason is simple. On average spinning wickets, where there is minimal turn, all the Indian batters are okay. But the moment they play on rank turners or when they get more turn, their technique is just not up to the mark. Because of that, they try to get out of the situation by playing attacking shots — sometimes even when the situation doesn’t demand it. The situation does not call for a big shot, but the batter plays it, and people feel it is a mistake in execution. Naturally, execution is the problem — that’s why you get out — but it happens because your defence is weak, and that’s why you go for the attacking option,” he said.Former India off-spinner R Ashwin, on his YouTube show Ash Ki Baat, voiced a similar opinion about the technical shortcomings of the Indian batters.“On spinning tracks, you have to get to the pitch of the ball or go right back to defend. We saw three players with high-quality defence — Temba Bavuma, Washington Sundar and Axar Patel,” said Ashwin.
If you want to play on challenging pitches, your game against spin needs to be very good. If it is not, then do not play on such pitches.
R Ashwin
“If you want to play on challenging pitches, your game against spin needs to be very good. If it is not, then do not play on such pitches.“We are not the best players of spin going around at this point. Many western teams are much better players of spin. They practice a lot. We are superior players of fast bowling because we take that as a challenge,” remarked Ashwin.Tiwary also questioned the Indian batters’ inability to play sweep shots, which he believes has become a dying art in their armoury.“On spinning tracks, you need to play sweeps, reverse sweeps, use your feet to step out — these are pure basics along with having a solid defence. All these ingredients are missing in this Indian side,” Tiwary said.All at sea
South Africa’s Simon Harmer (R) took 8/51 across both innings in the first Test against India at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. (AP)
Citing the dismissals of Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja in both innings, former India opener WV Raman questioned the indecisiveness of the Indian batters against Proteas off-spinner Simon Harmer.“It is happening because the batters are not clear with their methods, whoever it is. When there is doubt about whether to play my usual aggressive game or defend for a particular period, there cannot be two different strategies being employed simultaneously,” Raman told TimesofIndia.com.“It has to be a clear-cut plan. But I get the feeling that sometimes a little bit of indecision creeps into the mindset. This has nothing to do with the pitch.cTake Pant’s dismissal or even Jadeja’s dismissals in both innings. There is indecision — whether to play or not, whether to hit or defend. That bit of indecision is costly. It will cost you on a track where bowlers get help.“On a good track, maybe you get away. Sometimes, when you are indecisive, you suddenly get restless. This happens in cricket. But if you are indecisive on such tracks, especially key players, it creates problems,” he said.Ashwin had also stressed on the same point while talking about South African batter Tristan Stubbs and how he showed indecisiveness in the second innings against Ravindra Jadeja.“Tristan Stubbs was playing one ball on the pitch and the next in his mind. He was all at sea, unable to pick length. He was thinking about playing all types of shots,” said Ashwin.Play specialists
Washington Sundar was sent in to bat for India at the as-yet-unfixed No. 3 role in the first Test against South Africa. (AP)
Coach Gautam Gambhir has been targeted for his philosophy of picking utility cricketers instead of specialists in Test cricket.Gambhir’s approach to team selection has sparked as much debate as the pitches. Determined to apply his white-ball formula to Tests, he has chopped and changed relentlessly, turning the No. 3 slot into a musical chair.Since he took over from Rahul Dravid, Gambhir has tried all of Shubman Gill, Devdutt Padikkal, KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Sai Sudharshan and now Washington Sundar in that role. But with little patience on offer, none of them have had the time to settle down — and the results show it.“The first thing we have to bear in mind is that if a pitch of a certain kind has been asked for, then we need to pick an XI that is likely to do well on that surface. On a bowler-friendly track, you cannot add a lot of bowlers at the expense of batters,” said Raman.“Similarly, on a good track, you would probably need to have five bowlers, a varied attack to pick up wickets in case you fall short of runs. The problem here is that we seem to have depended more on multifaceted cricketers.“The unfortunate occupational hazard of a coach is that his decisions, made based on information at the start of a match, are judged only by the outcome. That is the nature of the beast.“What must be looked at is the combination that is played. I think that will be revisited in the next Test, and it will definitely involve course correction,” Raman explained.Pitch or playing combination?
Ground staff spray water on pitch ahead of the first Test cricket match between India and South Africa at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. (PTI)
Ashwin called the pitch “bad” but said it made for compelling viewing.“It should always be less about the pitch and more about skill. Test cricket is synonymous with life, you can’t expect ideal situations. It was not a turner. It was a bad pitch,” he said.“The problem with such a wicket is that the batsman [batter] cannot trust the bounce or the pace. This was not a turner, just an underprepared pitch,” he said.Raman also questioned the playing combination and explained why utility cricketers are less impactful than specialists on such pitches.
Poll
What should be prioritized for improving India’s Test performance?
“Playing on turners also has a lot to do with the fact that specialists can prolong their stay at the crease; they can extend their periods of focus and intensity. That is why they are Test-match specialists. Multidimensional cricketers, who are good in white-ball cricket, may not be able to prolong their efficiency in Test cricket because they are good only for certain periods,” he said.“So if that particular phase, their best half-hour comes during a challenging period, they may not be able to deliver because they are being tested. Once they hit saturation, a mistake follows. A Test batter will stay another 20 minutes to see if he can make use of any good balls or scoring opportunities. That is the difference.“I don’t understand why we flounder at home when we are expected to do well. We have a very good squad, favourable conditions, and strong bench strength. On bowler-friendly tracks, you can turn a decent bowler into a very good one. On good tracks, your combination, depth and talent can win you matches. We have a strong fast-bowling attack now that can excel even on good tracks — we saw that in England. When a combination doesn’t work, it must be revisited,” he concluded.
