NEW DELHI: Indian batters may have struggled against the spin of New Zealand's left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner, who took 13 wickets for 157 runs in the second Test at Pune.
However, India's assistant coach Abhishek Nayar deemed it "very harsh" to say that the team has forgotten how to handle spin bowling. He emphasized that the players will maintain their aggressive batting approach in the third Test at Wankhede Stadium, despite suffering comprehensive defeats in the first two matches.
Historically, India has exploited spin-friendly home conditions to dominate visiting teams. Yet, in recent years, the Indian batters have found it increasingly challenging to navigate these spin-friendly tracks.
In the second Test of the 2024 series against New Zealand, the Indian lineup fell victim to Santner’s spin, resulting in a 113-run defeat at the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium, where he claimed impressive figures of 7-53 and 6-104 as India were bowled out for 156 and 245 in two innings.
Despite this setback, Nayar remains confident that the batters will not fall into the spin trap again and will continue to play with aggressive intent in the upcoming third Test.
"Well, I think firstly that's a bit of a harsh statement for anyone. I think credit goes to the New Zealand bowlers as they exploited the conditions well and they were very consistent," said Nayar ahead of the third Test in Mumbai.
Under the leadership of new head coach Gautam Gambhir, Indian team has embraced a bold playing style, which proved successful during their victory against Bangladesh in the second Test at Kanpur. Despite weather-related delays causing the loss of more than two days, India's quick scoring rate enabled them to secure the win.
The ex-Mumbai cricketer clarified that aggressive cricket isn't about attempting to hit every delivery. Instead, it focuses on maintaining an attacking mindset throughout the game. He acknowledged that this strategy might occasionally backfire, as witnessed in the initial two Tests against New Zealand.
"I feel that when we talk about playing aggressive cricket when you talk about having aggressive intent, there are going to be times when it may not work out for you. And I think Gauti (head coach Gautam Gambhir) has said this before, at times when you get games like Bangladesh, where we go in and get the fastest 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, there are going to be days when it doesn't look as good and, you know, fruitful.
"But I think sometimes it's about sticking to the process and the belief systems when you're trying to achieve something. I've always believed as a team or as an individual, there's always going to be a time when you take a certain dip because you're trying to play cricket differently and you're trying to push yourself out of your comfort zone. Sometimes the results don't go your way. But I always believe if you're patient enough and when that upward curve hits the team and hits an individual, then your purple patch lasts for a really long time," said Nayar."So, we are hoping that the transition that we're trying to have in terms of the mindset and the approach of the players and team India that we're facing will end soon. Once we start to hit the upward curve, it will be a long period," said Nayar.
