NEWS
Follow UsAfter the first game of the three-match ODI series ended in a tie, India were expected to make a comeback in the next two matches. But the lack of application against spin squandered the baseline created by Rohit Sharma at the top - as India plunged to their first-ever series loss to Sri Lanka in 27 years.
Rohit Sharma was the only batter to have shown some application by taking the bowlers head-on, but others failed to replicate the same strategy. After the series, the Indian skipper reiterated that taking the bowlers on right from the word go should have been a default on such pitches.
"It is important to take on the bowlers on such pitches, where the ball is turning and it is tough to score," Rohit said in the post-match press conference. "It is important to be a bit brave. I don't think we were brave enough throughout the series to put them under a little bit of pressure. That's why we were a bit left lagging behind slightly."
However, as India prepare for the 2025 Champions Trophy in February, the Mumbaikar stated that his teammates are well aware of their limitations against spin, and will have their chances to correct those mistakes.
"We all know where we are erring, what we need to improve on. Individually, we have spoken to a lot of players on this topic, that they will get a lot more opportunities to play spin in these conditions. On these wickets, where the pitch is slow, where some balls are turning and some are not, you have to go in with a game plan,” Rohit said.
"At the same time, you also need to play your shots. If you think you will defend all six balls, it may not be possible on such a pitch. All in all, as far as the team is concerned, and how I look at it, we need to admit where we have made mistakes. We didn't dominate against spin.
“On such wickets, you need to dominate a bit, and the Sri Lankan spinners consistently kept us under pressure in all three games. Somewhere, we need to think about what we can do and which players should be given opportunities on such wickets.
“However, when you're playing on such challenging pitches, it is also important to have consistency in your team selection. If you give players only one or two opportunities, it isn't easy for them to manage such situations. We tried. We even wanted to try out a few players. It has been a poor series for us, we accept it. We didn't play good cricket and that's why we have the result that we have today,” the 37-year-old added.
Indian batters primarily failed to use their feet against spinners throughout the series. A case in point is Virat Kohli, who was adjudged lbw on all three occasions this series. Rohit calls for individual plans to take precedence over the management's attempts to bring about a new change.
"Playing spin against slow bowlers on slow pitches shouldn't be the excuse for us. We all play on these kinds of pitches. It is about having game plans and being clear with your plans. It comes down to individual plans. Everyone needs to understand that this is my plan, and this is how I am going to play.
"If the pitch suits your plan, take them on. If it doesn't, then what are the options? Come down the track, push for singles, all the basics of batsmanship on slow surfaces. We have grown up on slow pitches. Pitches have turned and been slow. It is about having a plan and believing it is good enough to come out on top on pitches like that.
"All these guys have come here playing so much cricket. All of a sudden to tell them to do things a little differently... to play the shot that they are not comfortable with is not ideal. We've had these issues in the past as well where the ball has spun a little bit; the wicket has been a bit slow. We had issues with keeping the tempo of the game.
"That's why I have said, it's all about individual plans, how they want to take the bowlers on, what are the shots they want to play. It starts with your training. When you get your sessions, you try and work through that I can see the guys are working hard in the nets whenever we get the opportunity to train.
“I don't see there being a lack of effort when we want to try and play different shots. Some of these guys played sweep, reverse sweep, paddle as well. That's not the nature of their batsmanship. They are trying as well. But we have to be clear with how we want to play and how to keep the momentum towards us while playing on pitches like these. We fell short thrice. Even the game that ended in a tie, we should've finished that game. In the last two games we played, we obviously knew where the problems were.
"We have to talk about it; we have to let the players know what we want. If we have to be a little different in choosing the personnel, we have to do that, unfortunately. We will try and see how we can be a good team in all kinds of conditions, not just on good pitches or seaming pitches, but also on pitches that turn a bit. We have to see what we have to do as a team, as a batting unit.
"I don't want to be critical because whenever I have asked them to do different things, they have done that. Things like this happen. It won't be ideal to look deep into this. It's important to stay calm and give them confidence, give them the understanding that this is what is required. Hopefully, if we come up against conditions like this, they have better plans against spinners."
India don’t have any matches scheduled for the next one and a half months, and their next assignment will be the World Test Championship series against Bangladesh in September. Officially, though, India’s next ODI series is scheduled for February, when England will tour India for a limited-overs series.
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