Bishen Singh Bedi Lashes Out at Team India for Not Preparing Themselves Well for the South Africa Tour
Published - 17 Jan 2018, 08:53 PM | Updated - 22 Aug 2024, 11:47 PM
Former legendary Indian spinner Bishen Singh Bedi lashed out at Virat Kohli and Co for not preparing themselves well for the South Africa series and rather wasting time by playing against lowly ranked side Sri Lanka. India lost the 2nd Test at the SuperSport Park in Centurion against South Africa by 135 runs to surrender the series 2-0 with one more match still to go at the New Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg.
India thrashed Sri Lanka in the Test series ahead of the South Africa tour, and Bedi feels it was simply useless to play Sri Lanka rather than preparing for the tough South Africa series.
“There was no preparation. We wasted our time with the Sri Lankans. There was no sense in playing a weak team for one-and-a half-months when we should be preparing for South Africa,” Bedi told news agency PTI. “It was supposed to be a tough tour and it required intense preparation. You beat Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka and you then call them to India, for what? The Indian cricketers would have been better off playing domestic cricket or preparing themselves exclusively for the tour,” said the legendary figure.
It must be noted that the visitors went into the Test series without playing a single practice game. However, the left-arm spinner said that there is no need to press the panic button yet.
“India has been outplayed. It is not a cause of panic; it is a cause of concern. Bowlers have done a good job. The catching and batting have left a lot to be desired. It is a good trial by fire for this Indian team.”
India will travel to England and Australia later this year, and with the performance against South Africa, they have certainly not increased the fans’ expectations for future tours.
He also felt that Rohit Sharma’s place in the team was not guaranteed especially over regular Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane in the first two Tests. Rohit scored a modest 78 runs in 4 innings at a below-par average of 19.50. “It is not my job to pick the team. I can only say that vice-captain, which is part of the decision-making, is not playing. I can’t agree with that.
“Whether you like it or not, he is a human being. Rahane is not going to take this development positively. Why did you make him vice-captain if you had to drop him? “It looks like ODI form was preferred for picking the eleven, which is not the right thing. Test matches are a different ball game and this series has proved that,” Bedi said.
Another baffling decision was to drop pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar after a six-wicket haul in the first Test in Cape Town, he said.
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