Manchester: As the fourth India vs England Test in Manchester approaches, with England holding a crucial 2-1 lead in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has expressed his disappointment over the lack of match practice for some of India’s younger and out-of-form players during the eight-day gap between the Lord’s and Manchester Tests. Gavaskar believes this missed opportunity could hamper India’s chances in the pivotal upcoming match.
While acknowledging that senior players might benefit from a break to refresh their minds and bodies, Gavaskar stressed the importance of game time for youngsters, especially those with limited experience in overseas conditions. He also felt that players struggling for form would benefit immensely from competitive exposure to regain their rhythm.
“Not having any match practice will only make the guys, who have not done well to worry a bit more, which doesn’t stand them in good stead,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Mid-Day. “This eight-day gap before the Manchester Test would have been most useful for the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Karun Nair, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran to get some useful batting practice even if it was a match played against an ordinary team.”
In the second and third Tests, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, and Rishabh Pant have shown belligerent form, contributing significantly to India’s scores. However, the team has keenly felt the lack of runs from Yashasvi Jaiswal. Karun Nair, despite repeated chances, remains the only Indian batter in the squad yet to score a single half-century.
Gavaskar extended his critique to the bowling department as well. Prasidh Krishna had a particularly woeful outing at Edgbaston, and Arshdeep Singh, who has yet to feature in a game, was recently ruled out of the Old Trafford Test due to a finger injury sustained in the nets. Gavaskar felt that even Kuldeep Yadav, who might be in contention for the upcoming Test, would have benefited from a practice match or some form of simulated game.
“For bowlers like Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna too, it would have helped to get their run-ups, lines and lengths going,” Gavaskar added. “Imagine if they suddenly have to bowl in a Test match when they haven’t played any cricket for more than a month. To expect them to get going straightaway would be totally unfair on these young and keen cricketers.”
With the series on the line, India needs to come out firing on all cylinders in Manchester. A win is imperative to keep their hopes alive, as a defeat would hand the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy to England.