ENG vs IND 2018: India Should Have Played At Least Two Three-Day Games : Sunil Gavaskar

Former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar has slammed the Indian team for being under-prepared in the wake of the narrow loss in the first England vs India Test at Edgbaston.

The scoreline would suggest that the game went close but it was mainly because of the bowlers and Virat Kohli’s brilliance. India had a golden opportunity to start the series with a win after getting a target of 194. However, the batsmen failed miserably as England won the game by 31 runs.

In the first innings, India bowled out the hosts for 287. The bowlers did even better in the second by wrapping up England for just 180. However, the batsmen failed to complement the bowlers’ effort.

Kohli waged a lone battle, making 149 in the first innings before scoring a composed 51 in the second. However, his heroic effort went in vain due to lack of support from the other end.  The likes of Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul and Ajinkya Rahane absolutely failed with the bat.

While Kohli made 200 runs in the Test, the other four in the top-five aggregated only 99.

India were off to a good start in the first innings. Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay added 50 runs for the first wicket. However, from thereon, none of the batsmen barring Kohli could apply himself in the testing conditions. India were reeling at 100 for 5 before Kohli rescued them.

The bulk of Kohli’s 149 came in the company of the lower-order batsmen. As a result, India managed to recover and post 274 in reply to England’s 287.

It was no better in the second innings as India were reduced to 78 for 5 during their chase. Dinesh Karthik, who was out for a duck in the first essay, tried to stick around with Kohli but he was dismissed for 20 in the first over of the fourth day.

And when Kohli was dismissed for 51, India still needed 63 runs to win. Hardik Pandya tried to keep India in the game but he was eventually the last man dismissed, falling to Ben Stokes.

And Gavaskar feels not preparing well for the series hurt India. The legendary batsman said lack of serious practice ahead of the game hurt Kohli & Co.as batsmen’s poor technique against moving deliveries was thoroughly exposed.

“It was no preparation at all,” Gavaskar told ‘India Today’ channel, referring to the three-day warm-up game.

“I can understand that you need to switch off after a series but that can’t be five days at a stretch. It can be three plus three day breaks between matches but not five days,” Gavaskar said.

Gavaskar was also critical of Indian team for changing an official first-class game into a glorified practice session in the name of warm-up game with all 18 players taking part.

“They should have played at least two three-day games and proper first-class games. Not 18 players but 11 players. They should have prepared in such a manner to give themselves a chance in the Test match. They cancelled a warm-up game in South Africa and were thrashed in the first two Tests,” he said.

“You can have as many match simulations, take throw-downs but in match situations, it is different. While taking throw-downs, you can get out or in nets you can bowl no balls,” he added.

For the next Test, Gavaskar suggested inclusion of an extra batsman in the playing XI.

“I always believe that in overseas conditions, you need to play an additional batsman. They got to believe in themselves that they can do well. I believe in this team,” Gavaskar concluded.