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[Saba Sports News] India batting coach Vikram Rathour recently shared insights into team’s 28-run defeat against England in the first Test of the ongoing five-match series held in Hyderabad last week.
Rathour commended the visitors for their bravery, acknowledging their strategic approach that enabled them to outshine the hosts on their home turf. He particularly highlighted England vice-captain Ollie Pope for his remarkable innings of 196 runs during the challenging circumstances in the second innings. He also emphasized that there is no additional pressure on the Indian team while playing at home as they are accustomed to the expectations of victory.
“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. I don’t think (there’s any pressure). We are expected to win while playing in India, and the boys are used to that by now,” Rathour said at a press conference in Vizag.
Rathour emphasized the importance of focusing on playing good cricket rather than overly fixating on results. He acknowledged that opposing teams come well-prepared in India and that England’s recent win was not a surprise.
“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,” he added.
Addressing the performance of young Indian batsmen, including Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer, Rathour stressed the need for patience and support from the team management. While Jaiswal showcased promise with 80 runs in the first innings, his subsequent score of 15 fell short of expectations. Gill and Iyer also faced challenges, registering scores of 23, 0 and 35, 13 respectively in the Hyderabad Test.
“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 mentioned.
Rathour encouraged the young batsmen to adopt an approach of intent rather than pure aggression. He stressed the importance of assessing the playing conditions and surface to make informed decisions about shot selection. Rathour acknowledged that discipline in batting is crucial but urged the players to back their strengths and focus on scoring runs.
“There’s a difference between playing with intent and playing attacking cricket. I want them to play with intent. If there is the opportunity to score some runs, they should take it. They need to decide by looking at the surface and conditions. So, the batters need to possess that intelligence as to which is the best or safest shot on the surface,” he continued.
Rathour signed off saying, “Could they have batted with more discipline? Maybe they could have. That’s what they need to decide and come up with their plans. 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.”