Many batters have become experts at playing spin throughout the years. Several hitters, particularly in India, have not only managed to survive the hard, spinning balls but also surprisingly turned the match around in their favor. It’s interesting that few non-Indians could generate the courage to bat brilliantly while facing elite spin bowlers. In a similar spirit, team India has frequently been praised for having skilled spinners. The Australian side has found some solutions to their batting problems against spinners from the third Test, but the Indian top order has remained a mystery in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Test series.
Speaking of Team India, the rest of the top order has been shut out of scoring, with the exception of Cheteshwar Pujara’s tenacious 59 off 142 pitches and skipper Rohit Sharma’s calculated yet impressive performance. Australia has also attempted to utilize only spin spinners and not speed bowlers against Kohli in a crucial ploy. Australia produced a remarkable comeback in the third Test, when they first grabbed a substantial lead by bundling India for just 109 runs and then easily chased down the goal of 76 runs. After the second Test, the rank turners appeared to backfire for the hosts.
In the meantime, a number of experts have stressed the importance of domestic cricket experience for any batter looking to reclaim lost form or confidence in their own gameplan. Also, it provides time to address any technique-related problems that may arise. In a similar spirit, former India opener Gautam Gambhir offered team India some pointers that would have helped them improve their spin game in the current Test series.
According to Gambhir, Indian batsmen would have greatly benefited from the experience before facing Australia in the current Test series if they had participated in several Ranji Trophy matches. He emphasized that only camping and net sessions can aid in match preparation. It greatly helps to have some prior experience in matches.
Whether you run 20-day camps or take swings at the nets, it makes no difference: Gambhir
When asked if Indian players should have participated in some Ranji Trophy games, Gautam Gambhir responded that it should be emphasized that they do so in order to obtain match experience and other benefits.
“200 percent instead of 100 percent. Before to the Test series against Australia, the Indian hitters ought to have participated in a few Ranji Trophy games. But, they shouldn’t have participated in those games purely for practice. It doesn’t matter if you play in the nets or hold 20-day camps, Gambhir stated in an interview with Sports Tak.
Incidentally, the first player played for and captained the Delhi squad. Notwithstanding the Australian team’s refusal to play a practice match after landing in India, he emphasized the lack of match practice for all teams. India destroyed them in the first two Tests of the series as a result.
Australia’s mentality of not playing practice matches caused them to suffer in the first two games. This is a bad attitude. The Indian batters are in the same boat. And yes, I’m referring to the hitters; the fast bowlers can take a break since they need to rest. But, the batsmen ought to compete in the Ranji Trophy and hit hundreds and double hundreds. Playing red-ball cricket prior to a crucial series is crucial, he said.
In regards to the current Test series, India has been able to hold onto it after winning the first two matches. The famous spin all-rounder Axar Patel, who batted at number 8, was interestingly the highest scorer for the Indian team. Following the second Test, Rohit Sharma led India in scoring with 185 runs and an impressive average of 92.50 over his four innings. Axar, though, turned out to be a close second. Together with it, the middle order’s contributions—which included significant assistance from Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin—helped India mount a comeback following the failure of other top order players.
Australia currently holds a commanding lead in the fourth Test after to Usman Khawaja’s outstanding century on the first day of the Ahmedabad Test. It would be intriguing to observe how the first hour plays out for both the Australian hitters and the Indian spinners.
