Published: Aug 13, 2018, 11:00 AM (IST)
Edited: Aug 13, 2018, 11:00 AM (IST)
India might have been unlucky to be on the wrong side of the weather at Lord’s that forced them to bat in difficult conditions in both their innings. They were asked to bat first on a rain-marred Day 2 of the second Test by England captain Joe Root. Then, on Day 4, again, the inclement conditions allowed England bowlers to again run riot in a big innings and 159-run victory.
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But former India batsman Dilip Vengsarkar feels that despite the testing nature of the Test, the Virat Kohl-led India should have shown more fight and adapted to what was on offer.
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He’s also surprised at the batsmen repeating their mistakes. “Conditions might be difficult to bat in the first session of play and that generally only happens in England. But then, one has to adapt very quickly,” Vengsarkar was quoted as saying by the Mid-day on Monday. “The team has been here for over a month and I’m surprised they are making the same mistakes again and again.”
Farokh Engineer has also criticised the approach of the Indian batsmen to counter swing bowling and Vengsarkar echoes his views saying the batsmen should have been on their toes every single delivery. R Ashwin was India’s top-scorer in Test with 33 off 48 in the second innings. They registered seven ducks across the two innings with only four of them crossing the 20-run mark.
“In English conditions you have to be extremely watchful because the ball moves so much. You cannot afford to relax for even one ball, especially when it is like this (cloudy and overcast). The batsmen have to take into consideration that when the pitch is assisting bowlers and there is swing around, you are never set. Judging from a couple of dismissals today, it seemed like the players relaxed a touch,” he said.
However, Vengsarkar, who has three centuries at the Lord’s, is hopeful that the world’s top-ranked side will manage to play to its full potential come third Test. “I hope they improve from the third Test. We are the No. 1 Test team in the world, we have tremendous potential. We must play to that level. So far, we are under-performing and not reaching that potential,” he said.
The third Test starts from August 18 at Trent Bridge, Nottingham.
