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'How is Team India consistently backing these players': Karthik on 'glaringly obvious' problem for Rohit and Co.
Dinesh Karthik has said that India's loss to Australia in the third Test has brought out a few issues that have been obvious in recent matches despite the fact that they had won them.
India's winning streak in Tests played at home came to an end on Friday with a comprehensive nine-wicket loss to Australia. On a pitch that spun from the first hour of Day 1, it was Australia who managed to show more application and skill with the bat while the Indians struggled to compete in both their innings. India ended up posting a target of 76, which the visitors chased down with relative ease.
Veteran India wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik has said that this loss brings to light the fact that India's top and middle order has failed consistently and contributions from the likes of Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel has bailed them out. “We cannot hide from the fact that India's top 7 haven't got the scores that they would like. We are talking about consistent collapses. Is batting difficult on this pit? Most definitely. But as a team they have chosen to play on these pitches which means they need to back themselves on them. They are capable of it, a lot of the players in isolation have probably played on tougher pitches and succeeded but playing international cricket is a different ball game,” said Karthik on Cricbuzz.
“When you get out a couple of times there are so many doubts that come, the confidence gets low. And then, to go out there and still back yourself just to play those big shots to get away from pressure can be really hard. I completely empathise with the Indian batters, it is hard work, but that is what Test cricket is,” he said.
Axar Patel, who bats at No.8, is the second highest run scorer in the series with 185 runs. It is only Rohit Sharma, who scored a century in the first Test who sits above him while the next best scorer for India after Axar is Virat Kohli. However, Kohli has scored only 111 runs in four innings at an average of 22.20. Earlier, India looked to be sliding towards a shock defeat to Bangladesh in second of the two Test matches they played in the country before Ashwin bailed them out with an unbeaten 42.
“They will accept that a large part of it has been camouflaged by two things - the lower order contributions and the fact that India have won both those matches. If you rewind and go to the Bangladesh series, there also they struggled against spinners but it was camouflaged by India winning those matches and the lower order contributions. But when you lose a match, it is glaringly obvious, it is right in your face and people will speak about it and they are right in doing it. It has happened consistently over a period of time and the question will arise, how is it that team India is consistently backing these players but they are not producing the scores that is required,” said Karthilk.
