India is up against an in-form team that has been defying conventions with telling effect. The host goes into the second Test against England, which starts here on Friday, without two of its best batters, but batting coach Vikram Rathour is confident of a comeback to the five-match series.
“You keep learning from every game that you play and we could of course have done better in batting, bowling and fielding,” Rathour said on Wednesday. “A lot of discussions and ideas are being shared. We are preparing well and hoping to do well in the next game.”
For India to do well, the batting has to click, despite the absence of Virat Kohli and K.L. Rahul. Either Rajat Patidar or Sarfaraz Khan would be getting a Test cap.
Tough choice
“It will be a tough choice,” Rathour said. “They are superb players and we have seen how well they have done in domestic cricket in the last few years. On these kinds of wickets, I think they can really add a lot of value to the team. If we have to pick just one out of them, of course, it would be tough. But, that decision will be made by coach Rahul Dravid and captain Rohit Sharma.”
Looking back at India’s defeat in the first Test at Hyderabad, he admitted the batters could have shown a bit more discipline. “There is a difference between playing with intent and playing attacking cricket,” he said. “I want them to play with intent. If there is the opportunity to score some runs, they should take it, but they need to decide by looking at the surface and conditions.”
Rathour praised England’s batting in the first Test. “They took their chances,” he said. “Ollie Pope was exceptional. I haven’t seen too many batters playing such a knock against our bowling.”
