JOHANNESBURG: Of the 17 players India have at their disposal, they have used 14 in the first two Tests. And right through those defeats, the focus was on someone who did not play. As another Test looms around the corner, all talks and eyes are on that player, who is seen as the missing link in India’s batting department.
Ahead of the second Test, it looked almost certain that Ajinkya Rahane would feature in the XI. But when it came to choosing between Rahane and Rohit Sharma, the team management opted for the latter as they believed the former was not middling the ball.
It was one of the factors that cost India the series, although the captain and coach refuse to buy the argument. Apart from the errors committed by the batsmen, the decision to drop Rahane was no less a mistake. It was perhaps the biggest mistake of all.But like Virat Kohli, head coach Ravi Shastri sang the same lines, defending the selection. “That will always be the case (questions about Rahane’s absence). If Ajinkya had played first, and not done well, you would have asked why Rohit hasn’t played. Rohit played, he didn’t do well, you are asking why Ajinkya didn’t play.
“The same would have happened with the fast bowlers. When you have choices, the team management discusses what is the best option and they stick to it,” Shastri said.India, however, are unlikely to commit the mistake again in Johannesburg. For two consecutive days, they gave enough hint of what to expect when the third Test begins on Wednesday.
For the second day in a row, after Murali Vijay, KL Rahul and Cheteshwar Pujara went through their rigours, Kohli, Rahane and Rohit batted against India’s frontline pacers and net bowlers.
Rahane faced more bowlers than others and even after his session was up, he moved to another net, where assistant coach Sanjay Bangar gave nearly 100 throwdowns. Shastri also had a long chat with him before the Mumbai batsman went for energy drinks under the piercing sun.
Ten minutes later, he took off his pads and rushed to the stadium, where fielding coach R Sridhar was waiting along with Kohli, Rahul and Pujara. The three spent another 20 minutes trying to catch what Sridhar sliced towards them. After others made their way towards the dressing room, Rahane spent another 15 minutes taking slip catches.
It is not just Rahane who needs runs. Even the rest of the batsmen, in a departure from the past, padded up for a second nets session, where they faced only short-pitched balls. It is understood that the team management has had one-on-ones with the batsmen, to point out the mistakes made in the two Tests. Having been told to play with intent, they have now been asked to stick to their own game, and show application which has been lacking so far on this tour.
Though the series is lost, the mood seemed rather upbeat and Shastri lamented the chances India failed to grab in both Tests, having been on top in several occasions.“They have had chances in both Test matches but they didn’t make the most of them. So when you believe you have a chance to win, then you look forward to a Test match. When you don’t believe you can win, you don’t look forward to a Test match. As simple as that.”
The head coach also didn’t mince words with regards to the poor shot selection of the batsmen, which were way too many in the second Test. Vijay, Rahul, Pujara, Rohit, Hardik Pandya gifted their wickets which allowed South Africa to run away with the game. Shastri spoke about Pujara, who was run out twice going for nonexistent runs in the second Test.
“It hurts a lot. As it is the conditions are very tough, and on top of that if someone gets run out then you feel bad and there is no doubt about that. You hope that those mistakes don’t happen again because at times they are schoolboy errors. They have to be rectified. In tough conditions like these where there is not much between the two teams, you cannot afford to give away wickets like that. Boys have been made aware of those mistakes.”
Philander eyes clean sweep
South Africa pacer Vernon Philander has shot off a warning to India, saying that the hosts would not lower their guard in the third Test. Philander said they would settle for nothing less than a 3-0 result. “We do want to win each and every single game we play. So, it doesn’t matter that the Test series has already been won, we want to win all three matches. The emphasis is on preparation, and doing it well. We want to win this Test as well.”
Iyer hopeful of turnaround
India will make a comeback in the ODI series in South Africa, Shreyas Iyer said. India will take part in the three-match series from February 1. “We will look to come back strongly. We have not won the Test series so will look to bounce back strongly.”
venkatakrishna@newindianexpress.com