31 October,2024 08:06 AM IST | Mumbai | R Kaushik
Virat Kohli during India’s practice session at Wankhede yesterday. Pic/Atul Kamble
Bat time. Bat sessions. Bat long. Bat big. These are the tenets around which Gautam Gambhir had based his batting. Much of that stemmed from a strong defensive set-up. It's precisely the significance of having a trustworthy defence that has been the messaging from the head coach to his wards over the last couple of weeks.
It's not as if India's batting line-up, established and prolific for the most part, needs a crash course in the basics. But sometimes, caught up as they are in the cauldron of international cricket, a slight deviation from norm is almost inevitable. Apart from the second innings of the first Test in Bangalore, India's batters haven't been able to spend any meaningful time at the crease, which has reflected in totals of 46, 156 and 245 in three of their four digs against New Zealand.
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If the Wankhede Stadium, the scene of many a stirring triumph, not least in the final of the 50-over World Cup against Sri Lanka in 2011, doesn't stoke the competitive fire in India, very little else will.
Rohit Sharma included, there are three hometown heroes in the mix, and one would expect the captain as well as Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sarfaraz Khan to make the most of their familiarity with the conditions.
The others too have played enough here to be caught by surprise. Wankhede's red-soil surface is famous for allowing matches to proceed at a rapid clip. Early each morning, there will be assistance for the quicker bowlers, and while turn is certain, there is value for shots too. India will welcome these factors after the slow burn in Pune, though Tom Latham's side, high on confidence after becoming the first New Zealand side to win a Test series in India, will continue to keep chipping away.
It was here that, three years back, Ajaz Patel became the third bowler in Test history to take all 10 wickets in an innings. Life hasn't changed dramatically for the Mumbai-born 36-year-old since that historic accomplishment; he did concede on Wednesday to feeling emotional at a return to the scene of the crime, but he is seasoned enough to set emotion aside when play is called in the final Test on Friday morning.
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Speculation is rife that this is the last time several of India's established superstars will be playing a home Test together - the next such Test is nearly a year away - and if that is the case, they can give each other the perfect farewell gift by setting aside the disappointments of Bangalore and Pune and putting on a show that is quintessentially Indian on Indian soil. Even though Jasprit Bumrah wasn't at nets on Thursday, Gambhir insisted that everyone on the squad is available for selection.
India's qualification chances for the final of the World Test Championship have taken a beating over the last fortnight, but Rohit and Gambhir know that instead of focusing on the points, if they can do their processes right, the result will take care of itself. Primary in their bucket list will be for batters to bat time, bat big and trust their defence. Easier said?
