England vs India 2018: Geoffrey Boycott Lashes Out at Team India

The former cricketing great from England, Geoffrey Boycott cites that India needs to show some mental dominance and discipline to avoid 5-0 whitewash against England in the ongoing five-match Test series.

India lost the series opener at Edgbaston by 31 runs. They faced an embarrassing defeat in the second Test at Lord’s when sun played hide and seek after the complete washout of the opening day.

It was two-way traffic between England and rain as India never looked in the game. Visitors faced an embarrassing defeat by an innings and 159 runs.

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India could only manage 107 in the first innings whereas England bowled out them on 130 in the second essay

In his column for the Daily Telegraph, Boycott wrote,

“Great teams and great players should not buckle as easily as India did at Lord’s just because the ball swings and seams.”

Geoffrey Boycott on technique

Boycott wrote that there is only one reason why overseas tour takes place as it tests approach and method of a batsman. He said the adoption of climatic conditions, and different surfaces are what a team learns from such overseas assignments.

The whole point of playing cricket in different countries on different pitches and in alien conditions is to test character, and ability to adapt.

He lashes out on Indian batting department while calling it stupidity to go for wafting drives on out swinging deliveries. Boycott wrote that Indian team had led their supporters down with their ‘naive and irresponsible’ batting.

“So far, the Indian players have let themselves and their supporters down. The batting has been so naive and irresponsible, it has bordered on stupidity. Wafting drives at tempting outswingers is thoughtless.”

“Test cricket is becoming a ridiculous mismatch with most teams winning at home and failing miserably abroad. India, the No 1 team in the world, has been awful in two Tests.”

Batting woes of Indian cricket team:

Indian batting order has performed poorly first two Tests. Apart for Virat Kohli who scored 149 and 51 in the first Test respectively, no other batter could manage a single fifty in two matches. In the second match, the members of Indian team failed to cross a respectable milestone.

In comparison to it, England team while playing only three innings has a century and four half-centuries in their kitty.

Boycott opined that there are technical issues that Indian batters are facing. He pointed out some deficiencies behind their horrid show.

“Trying to work straight outswingers through midwicket and then being surprised when you get bowled or nick it to the slips is brainless. Playing the ball on the up in front of your pad is a no-no,” wrote Boycott.

“These are elementary things you do not do against any decent swing bowler in English conditions. To try to do it to James Anderson, who is one of the great master craftsmen in those conditions, tells me the Indian batsmen have not done their homework. They have not sat down, talked or practiced in the nets and got their heads around how they are going to bat differently in England,” he added.

Geoffrey Boycott on the third Test.

The third Test is scheduled to kick off at Trent Bridge on August 18. From the perspective of pace spearhead James Anderson, he has 60 scalps in last nine outings at this very venue.

Boycott warned India that things would not be any different from the first two Tests. He said that England would come hard yet again in Nottingham and it will not be easy for India to avoid the defeat.

“Do not expect it to get any easier at Trent Bridge, because that is where Anderson excels. His bowling figures are exceptional in Nottingham and Stuart Broad will be up for the challenge with his home crowd behind him,” said Boycott.