Vijay Bharadwaj Believes India's Opening Pair Is A Worrying Factor Ahead Of The WTC Final

Former Indian all-rounder Vijay Bharadwaj has come up with a point of concern for India ahead of the ICC World Test Championship final. India and New Zealand will compete for the ultimate prize in Test cricket when they lock horns in the two-year tournament-decider on the 18th of June in Southampton. However, the Indian team’s fragile batting order worries Vijay Bharadwaj.

While the likes of Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Ajinkya Rahane have experience playing in England, the openers don’t. Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill are highly vulnerable against the moving ball in seaming pitches, which England will most likely prepare for the likes of James Anderson and Stuart Broad to prosper. Gill, who debuted in Australia, struggled against James Anderson even in India.

Vijay Bharadwaj pointed out the inexperience of Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill as far as Tests in England are concerned. He thinks that New Zealand must get Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara in the crease early to have an advantage. Simultaneously, he believes that Sharma and Gill must give a good start to India since the middle-order looks fragile as well if the opening combination does.

“One thing worrying is the inexperience of Gill in Tests and the inexperience of playing Tests in England for Rohit. For New Zealand to have the edge, they need to get Pujara and Kohli early into the crease. India will need a good start from Rohit and Gill. If the openers are fragile, the middle-order also looks fragile. That is the test Rohit has to pass,” Bharadwaj told Sportskeeda.

The team has to straightaway get into the match mould: Vijay Bharadwaj

Vijay Bharadwaj also believes that the team needs to get into that Test-match mindset quickly and capitalize on their starts. The 45-year old iterated Rahul Dravid’s example as he was frequently able to score centuries due to his concentration levels. Bharadwaj conceded that the buck lies with the openers as they should not be satisfied by scoring 40 or 50.

“The team has to straightaway get into the match mould. It is not easy for batsmen to get set and then carry on. When you get set, it is important that you score a century. Rahul Dravid was able to do that with the kind of focus that he had. Rohit and Gill should not think that by scoring 40 or 50, their job is done. That said, the fragile batting order is a worrying factor,” he added.

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