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Sports News: Crushing defeat at the hands of New Zealand in a three-match Test series on their home turf, the Indian cricket team is facing intense scrutiny.
An embarrassing whitewash against New Zealand has invited strong debate over the continued failure of the Indian batting line-up against the quality of spin bowling.
Indian batters have seemingly lost the essence of patience that characterized their Test game in the good old days. Cricketing legend Sunil Gavaskar feels a sense of reckless batting strategy has begun to ruin India’s red ball approach after the first-ever whitewash for India on home soil and the team’s 3-0 series rout.
Sunil Gavaskar raises alarm on India cricket team’s Test collapse after humiliating home series loss
Indian cricket team batters are moving towards a more aggressive way of playing which is actually in line with the shorter versions rather than Test cricket’s much-needed resilience, Gavaskar said.
Sunil Gavaskar feels that failure for Rohit Sharma in the Tests will require a massive overhaul for India from Virat Kohli
He says that this “quick-fix” attitude where a few dot balls make Indian batsmen go for the big shots has significantly damaged the team’s stability and ultimately success in Tests.
Sportstar quoted Sunil Gavaskar: “The real issue is the thinking where again short boundaries and big bats mean that the batters, after playing three or four dot balls, feel they can reverse the momentum by going for a big shot. It may work with the white ball which does not swing, seam or spin as much, but with the red ball, it’s flirting with danger if one has just come in to bat.”
Test cricket needs some patience: Sunil Gavaskar
Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar expressed his deep concerns over the current mentality of Indian cricket, saying this change in batting approach has already affected the performances of Indians in Test cricket as well as kept sitting stalwarts like Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane on the bench.
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Gavaskar said that Pujara and Rahane were the sort of players who could take the pressure and wear down bowling attacks over long innings with grit, composure, and watchful style. The cricketing legend felt that their exclusion is symptomatic of a wider trend in modern cricket.
He said, “Test cricket demands some patience, especially on those pitches where the bowlers are getting some help, but not many modern batsmen believe in that. Then there’s this new thinking that, come what may, we will play only at breakneck speed in a five-day game, and that means there is not much thought given to tiring the bowler out or waiting for conditions to improve. That’s why Pujaras and Rahanes have no place in the Indian team’s plans”.
Sunil Gavaskar slams the tend of belting the ball in Test cricket
The likes of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane are two of the biggest factors that have contributed to India’s success in Tests in the last decade. Ironically, this is the same team which, according to Sunil Gavaskar, was shown the exit by the national selectors under pressure from the coaching camp because of its inability to score quickly and take an aggressive approach to the game, rather than playing hard for long periods.
The cricket pandit further emphasized that this is not merely a case of individual dismissals but a basic failure at reading and responding to the special requirements of Test cricket.
Gavaskar concluded saying, “Pujara wore down the Australian attack as did Rahane and so the stroke-makers could take advantage of a tired attack and flog it and make up for a slow but watchful start. That kind of thinking is not there. Now there’s this business of belting the ball like England batters are doing and losing badly overseas.”
