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'Make it 200 percent': Gambhir's game-changing advice for India amid batting woes, slams Australia's 'negative mindset'
India's batters were largely found wanting during their third Test against Australia, in which it was the visitors who found more success with the bat and eventually won the match.
India's batters ended up being second best during the third Test against the Australia. On what was a wicket that heavily favoured spin bowling, the Australian batters managed to put up a relatively daunting lead in the first innings and then chased down the 76-run target that India set for them with ease.
India's top order batters have largely struggled to score runs in the series, with the exception of captain Rohit Sharma who scored a century in the first Test. Cheteshwar Pujara was also lauded for his 59 off 142 balls but the rest of the players who make up India's top five of full time batters before the spin-bowling all-rounders have largely been found wanting. This has led to debate as to whether batters around the world, including in India, have forgotten the art of playing on spin-friendly conditions in Test cricket.
Former India batter Gautam Gambhir says that while this maybe the case, India would have benefitted if their top batters had played Ranji Trophy matches before the series. “Not 100 percent, make that 200 percent,” said Gambhir on Sports Tak when asked if Indian players should have played in India's premier domestic tournament. “The Indian batters should have played a few Ranji Trophy matches ahead of the Test series against Australia. However, they shouldn't have played those matches just to prepare. It doesn't matter if you conduct 20-day camps or bat in the nets.”
Gambhir, who was captain of the Delhi Ranji team, pointed out the fact that Australia struggled in the first two Tests as they did not play a practice match in India and the hosts themselves would have benefitted had their players played some red-ball cricket at home before the series.
“Australia struggled in the first two matches because of their mindset of not playing practice matches. This is a negative mindset. The same goes for the Indian batters. And I am talking about the batters, the fast bowlers need rest and they can take a break. But the batters should go play in Ranji Trophy, make centuries and double centuries. It is very important to play red-ball cricket before an important series,” he said.
India had won the first two Tests and thus retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. It was Axar Patel, who bats at No.8, who was the highest run scorer in the series at the end of the second Test. Axar continues to be India's second highest run scorer behind Rohit, having scored 185 runs at an average of 92.50 in four innings. Runs from Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin have also helped India in the first two Tests.
