Batting horrors haunt India
Bowler-friendly conditions that trouble Indian batsman is not a new scenario, but the lack of application and the will to fight is becoming a cause of serious concern here.
Rohit Sharma’s body language suggests a calamity in the dressing room.
Virat Kohli loses interest after 20 minutes in the nets, ironically even as Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid sweat it out at the KSCA and in Bandra respectively trying to further tighten up their game, net sessions here are somehow not taken seriously. Gary Kirsten’s dressing down to a few young batsmen was a case in point.
Flashy eyewear, zinc cream and trendy sneakers are all a reflection of changing times but the priorities now visible are hampering the very core of Indian cricket.
Dollars from top corporate houses transferred to player’s accounts, courtesy the Indian Premier League have reduced the hunger of the new generation.
Barring Suresh Raina who boasts of a solid work ethic, the others require serious guidance. The natural talent of Sharma and Kohli is too precious to be tossed away.
In the absence of Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir, the dependence on Virender Sehwag has become unreasonable. In this scenario, Yuvraj Singh’s application in order to regain touch was heartening. The ball has moved around here but at this level, batsmen are expected to be good enough to counter that.
The solution lies in spending more time in the middle. Batsmen who get starts have to try and bat for long. These are not the usual sub-continental conditions where one can wade through the line without a care in the world.
It should not come as a surprise if Sharma or any of the others in the top-order goes on to make big runs against New Zealand. The problem with the current set-up is that the past will get conveniently forgotten. The focus should be one consistency and not on one flashy effort. The addiction to individual brilliance will only continue to grow.
Numbers can be misleading at times but in this case they reflect the situation.
With exception of Sehwag’s unbeaten 99 against Sri Lanka, the top-order has only made up the numbers.
Time to take it on the chin and prove they are worthy of their superstar status.
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