Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India]: Ahead of the third Test against New Zealand at Mumbai, Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir said that the batters being less defensive in modern day Test cricket comes down to playing more T20 cricket.
India will be looking to saving their pride as they take on Kiwis in the third Test at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium. With the hosts being 0-2 down in the three-match series and having endured their first series loss in Tests at home in 12 years, they will be aiming to play out of their skins in order to avoid an embarassing whitewash.
Speaking ahead in the press conference, Gambhir said that players becoming less defensive in the long format is due to T20 cricket. But he asserted that all successful players have a good defence in Tests and it should serve as a foundational skill in the format.
“Completely comes down to T20 cricket (players being less defensive in Tests). When it comes to successful Test cricketers, you look at Virat, all the great players who have done well for a long time, they have had a good defence. The foundation of Test cricket is good defence. Batting on flat pitches and T20 cricket has caused it. We need to keep working on our game,” said Gambhir.
On pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah bowling less in the nets, Gambhir said that the bowler knows how to manage his workload and prepare and he is fine fitness-wise.
“He has done his preparations. We know how the weather is in Mumbai. He needs to conserve his energy. He has prepared well and is fine. He is a senior bowler and knows how to prepare before a game,” said Gambhir.
Gambhir said that in long-term, there is a need to have a separate team for red-ball cricket and identify players, especially batters, who are good in this format.
“For getting results, we need to work hard for three days, four days or five days. Sometimes, it is important to bat session by session. If we do so, we have the bowling attack to take 20 wickets,” he concluded.
In the second Test, NZ opted to bat first and half-centuries from Devon Conway (76) and Rachin Ravindra (65) helped the Kiwis reach 259 after Washington Sundar (7/59) delivered an incredible comeback spell to destroy the Kiwi middle order. In their first innings, India posted just 156 runs, with spinner Mitchell Santner taking 7/53 and Ravindra Jadeja top-scoring with 38 runs. In their second innings, with the help of skipper Tom Latham’s 86, NZ posted 255/10, with Washington picking four wickets and Ravindra Jadeja getting three. In the run chase of 359 runs, India was skittled out for 245, despite a fight put on by Yashasvi Jaiswal (77). India lost by 114 runs and NZ won the series 2-0.
NZ had won the first Test by eight wickets.
India Squad: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant(w), Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, Dhruv Jurel, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, KL Rahul.