WTC final: "Mistakes happen automatically" - Aakash Chopra on Team India's batting collapse
Aakash Chopra feels the stop-start nature of the game and the lack of practice in seamer-friendly conditions have contributed to India's batting collapse in the first innings of the World Test Championship (WTC) final against New Zealand.
Team India were bundled out for 217 runs on the third day of the WTC final despite being 146/3 at stumps on Day 2. None of the Indian batsmen could even breach the half-century mark.
While responding to a fan question in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra pointed out that the circumstances contributed to India's batting collapse. He said:
"A Test match simmers in such conditions, it is a game of patience. A lot of mistakes happen automatically. Virat Kohli was also set but the natural breaks cause lapses of concentration and give the opposing team the opportunity to reassess and regroup."
The cricketer-turned-commentator highlighted that the Kiwi pacers operated with a set plan on the morning of the third day. Aakash Chopra elaborated:
"When they came now, they brought the ball in and hit the pads, Virat Kohli out. They kept on bowling wide to Rishabh Pant, the conditions are such that you need a lot of patience. Whoever gets the start, needs to convert it into a long innings."
Virat Kohli failed to add to his overnight score of 44 and was caught plumb in front of the wickets by Kyle Jamieson. Rishabh Pant's only scoring shot was a boundary before he also fell to Jamieson.
"I won't be too critical of the Indian batting" - Aakash Chopra
While acknowledging that Ajinkya Rahane could have avoided the shot which led to his dismissal, Aakash Chopra insisted that he would not blame the Indian batsmen much. He explained:
"You already played a batsman less. Ajinkya could have actually not played that shot also. If you see overall, you will find that there have been issues but I won't be too critical of the Indian batting."
Aakash Chopra reasoned that Team India are playing the WTC final in seamer-friendly conditions with no match practice behind them:
"It was the first innings in England, first half of the English summer, you did not play any practice or first-class matches. I feel India did alright. It was also a slow outfield. So, I am not too perturbed. I feel the glass is still half full."
Team India did play an intra-squad warm-up match before the WTC final. However, the Kiwis are better acclimatized to the conditions, having played two Tests against England before the title decider.