“We need to be a bit patient with them” - Vikram Rathour backs Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer amid their lean run
Team India batting coach Vikram Rathour has urged for patience with young batters Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal. Referring to the fact that they have not played a lot of Test cricket, he's confident that the trio will come good with experience.
After enduring a tough time during the two-match series in South Africa, Jaiswal smashed a fluent 80 in the first innings of the Hyderabad Test against England. Gill and Shreyas, though, continued to struggle, registering low scores in both innings.
At a press conference ahead of the second Test against England in Visakhapatnam, which begins on Friday, February 2, Rathour threw his weight behind India’s young batters.
“There are young batters in our team who have not played much Test cricket. So, we need to be a bit patient with them. Batters like (Shubman) Gill, (Yashasvi) Jaiswal and (Shreyas) Iyer will eventually start getting big runs, I’m sure of it,” the former India opener said.
On what style of play he would like the Indian batters to adapt, Rathour explained that they need to play with intent but must also take into consideration factors like the pitch and the conditions on offer.
“There’s a difference between playing with intent and playing attacking cricket. I want them to play with intent. If there is the opportunity to score some runs, they should take it.
"They need to decide by looking at the surface and conditions. So, the batters need to possess that intelligence as to which is the best or safest shot on the surface,” he elaborated.
The former player also admitted that India could have been a bit more disciplined with the bat in the second innings in Hyderabad.
“Could they have batted with more discipline? Maybe they could have. That’s what they need to decide and come up with their plans. But, they need to score runs by playing their shots, as you need to back your strengths.
"Batting is always about scoring runs. It's not about not getting out but how many runs you put on the board,” Rathour commented.
Chasing 231, India were bowled out for 202, with debutant left-arm spinner Tom Hartley picking up 7-62.
“We haven't lost a series at home for 12-13 years” - Vikram Rathour
The Indian team came in for plenty of criticism following their defeat from a commanding position in Hyderabad. The batting coach, though, downplayed the loss, reminding everyone of India’s stellar home record.
Backing the team to bounce back strongly in the second Test, he added:
“We keep talking about our batters (not scoring enough), but India has been winning a lot of series at home. We haven't lost a series at home for 12-13 years.
"It means we are putting up more runs than the other teams. These are tough conditions to score runs, but I'm sure that the batters will find a way.”
India’s last Test series loss at home came in 2012 when they went down 2-1 to England.