After a heartbreaking defeat, Team India is all set to face England in the second Test match of the five-match Test series. The match is scheduled to start on February 2 in Vizag. In the first Test match, players like Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer failed to play responsible knocks in crucial times. After scoring 80 runs in the first innings, Yashavi Jaiswal quickly got out in the second innings. Team India’s form is creating buzz after the defeat. Team India’s batting coach Vikram Rathour opened up about this.
Rathour on Player’s Off-Form:
India’s batting coach, Vikram Rathour, emphasized the need for patience with players like Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer, who are going through a rough patch. He urged the team to approach England’s aggressive tactics with intelligence in the upcoming second Test. Despite a 190-run first-innings lead in the opening Test in Hyderabad, India lost by 28 runs.
He said, “ There are young batters in our team who have not played much Test cricket. So, we need to be a bit patient with them. Batters like (Shubman) Gill, (Yashasvi) Jaiswal, and (Shreyas) Iyer will eventually start getting big runs, I’m sure of it.”
Rathour believed that India’s batting in the second innings of the Hyderabad Test may have lacked discipline. He said, “Could they have batted with more discipline? Maybe they could have. That’s what they need to decide and come up with their plans.”
Later he added, “ But, they need to score runs by playing their shots, as you need to back your strengths. Batting is always about scoring runs. It’s not about not getting out but how many runs you put on the board.”
Praising England’s Attacking Approach:
England’s attacking approach created a buzz even before the beginning of the Test series. A lot of talk was going on their ‘Bazball’ topic. Rathour praised the English batsmen, especially Pope, for playing bold cricket and shifting the momentum away from Rohit Sharma’s team. However, he clarified that England’s impressive performance hasn’t added extra pressure on his own team.
He said, “They (England) were brave. They took their chances, which worked for them. The kind of innings Pope played was exceptional. I haven’t seen too many playing such a knock against our bowling attack.”
On handling pressure, he added, “I don’t think. We are expected to win while playing in India, and the boys are used to that by now.”
After losing the first Test match by 28 runs, Team India is eagerly waiting to register their first win. Before heading to the second Test match, batting coach Vikram Rathour gave a special message. On this matter, he said, “The message to them from the support staff is to play good cricket and not bother about results too much. The other teams also come well-prepared. Since we have won Test matches in Australia, England, and South Africa, we also expect them to win a Test in India.”
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