December 20, 2020 10:38:12 pm
Gundappa Viswanath (Source: Reuters)
Gundappa Viswanath
I was on the team when we were all out 42 against England at Lord’s. But I would never say that 36 killed the ghost of it. I can never be happy. I never thought that I would see India again at 42 or less in my life. It doesn’t feel good. But they have to put this behind them and pull up their socks.
It all comes together when a team goes out for such a low score. All bowlers will play very well, high-level hitters will get very good deliveries, and there won’t be much resistance from lower-level hitters.
In Adelaide, the field picked up a bit on the third day. The Australian bowlers played very well and consistently. The same thing happened at Lord’s. Whenever the batters were hit, the ball took the edge. Compared to Lord’s, where it was cloudy and the ball rocked, the Adelaide Oval field had a bit more bounce but not much lateral movement or stitching. All the bowlers kept the hitters under pressure.
(Cheteshwar) Pujara received one of the best deliveries that could be obtained. Had to play it. Mayank (Agarwal) as well. The ball got up and put it down. (Ajinkya) Rahane played from the box. (Virat) Kohli went after an avid childbirth; maybe he was trying to score some quick runs to ease the pressure.
The Indian team has played enough cricket to get this out of their system. There are players on this team who have played 60-70 Tests and even without Kohli, this team has the ability to bounce back. Rahane has been captain of India before, a few years ago, and led the team to victory.
However, some changes become imperative. (Shubman) Gill has to come instead of (Prithvi) Shaw. There are no two ways to do it. (KL) Rahul will come instead of Kohli. I don’t know how bad (Mohammed) Shami’s injury is. Hopefully, it will recover. Rohit (Sharma) is there, but will be available only for the last two tests.
You have to do well in the next three tests. Forget about fancy photos. It takes a lot of application.
India’s catch has been poor. Not only in this Test, but throughout the entire journey. It cannot happen like this. And they missed some attendees. If all those catches were made, India would have had a lead of more than 100. The momentum would have been different. And if they (Australia) had to score 180-190 in the fourth inning, it could have been a different game.
I won’t say that Rahane is struggling or has problems with his technique and footwork. He played very well in the first innings. It is a matter of staying positive all the time.
India had not lost any of its 25 events when Virat Kohli won the draw earlier today.
It took an incredible effort from the Australian bowlers to end that streak 🔥#AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/Y9TcL9YXZU
– ICC (@ICC) December 19, 2020
Approaching the ball
Everyone has their own way of playing in terms of back lift, bat speed, use of the fold, etc. You need to adjust according to delivery, line and length, and a test player is expected to do so. You cannot (depend on) advice in that regard. You cannot leave a space between the bat and the pad while playing the ball. You need to play much closer to your body, keeping the bat and pad together. You cannot allow the ball to swing. If you are playing forward, go to the pitch of the ball to cover the swing. You cannot play blind with the front foot or the rear foot. You have to choose the length in advance and you cannot stay glued to the fold. Either you go completely forward or you play with your back foot. Against spinners, use your footwork to neutralize the spin and bounce.
At the test level, you know how to adapt to swing, turn, and bounce. You are there because you are good enough and you should be able to adapt.
I won’t say that (the Indian hitters) are playing with heavy hands, because in the first innings, a lot of deliveries either missed the goalie or slipped. It means that they played with soft hands. My advice is to get closer to the ball and be precise with your footwork.
This is test cricket. You should analyze your own game. This is not ODI or T20. This is the five day cricket and the test matches do not go to the fourth or fifth day. You have plenty of time to stay at the gate. But this is not just an Indian problem. If you see, it’s happening with all teams. Australia were out by less than 200 in their first innings. This is due to the fact that teams do not play enough test cricket or do not play it regularly.
I will not blame the Indian players for not playing the Ranji Trophy. They do not have time. They don’t have the window to play home cricket.
Test cricket is a mental game and you have to apply your mind. At this level, you must be the best judge in terms of what to do, how to adapt and play according to the situation.
(As told to Shamik Chakrabarty)
.
