India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar believes it’s only a matter of time before short-of-runs batting stalwarts Rohit, Virat get going as they’ve been working hard
India’s Virat Kohli in full cry during a practice session at the Wankhede Stadium yesterday. Pics/Atul Kamble
Though India skipper Rohit Sharma and star batsman Virat Kohli’s struggles with the bat continue, resulting in the hosts losing the three-match series to New Zealand before reaching Mumbai for the final Test, assistant coach Abhishek Nayar is not worried about the top-order batsmen’s form.
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Correct approach
“Their approach is great. I feel they’re putting in the hard yards. Sometimes, you’ve got to be a little patient, even with the greatest of players, and they can have tough times. I’m pretty sure sooner rather than later, we’ll have more to praise Virat and Rohit and everyone else as well about. [We need to have] just a bit of patience,” Nayar told reporters on Wednesday, ahead of the the team’s practice session for the third Test, starting at the Wankhede Stadium on Friday.
India skipper Rohit Sharma during a practice session at the Wankhede Stadium yesterday
Kohli made zero and 70 in the first Test at Bangalore which India lost by eight wickets. Then, in the Pune Test, which the Kiwis won by 113 runs inside three days, Kohli managed just one and 17. Skipper Rohit’s figures in the last four innings versus NZ have been two, 52, zero and eight. Nayar though felt they need strong support during these tough times. “When a top player goes through a lull, a lot of the times it’s about giving them their space and trust that they will come back,” Nayar said.
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New Zealand left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner claimed 13 wickets (7-53 and 6-104) in the Pune Test and critics felt he exposed the inability of the Indian batters to counter spin on a rank turner. However, Nayar, a former Mumbai and India all-rounder, disagreed. “That’s a bit of a harsh statement. When you’re trying to achieve something, there’s always going to be a time when you take a certain dip because you’re trying to play cricket in a different way and you’re trying to push yourself out of the comfort zone. Sometimes, the results don’t go your way, but if you’re patient enough and when that upward curve hits the team and the individual, then your purple patch lasts for really long,” added Nayar.
Three city players in team
While Rohit will be playing only his second Test at his home ground, for opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and middle-order batsman Sarfaraz Khan, it will be their maiden outing here in the longest format. When mid-day sought Nayar’s advice for the Mumbai players, he remarked: “Home conditions are always like two sides of a coin. Sometimes, it gives you an advantage. Sarfaraz has got a lot of runs here, so has Yashasvi.
Abhishek Nayar
So, it is always great to have that. But that is domestic cricket and now we are playing against a New Zealand side, who are confident and positive. So, for us, it’s more about self-reflection and what we can do as a team. There are always advantages, but, what you have done in the past does not really matter in the present. So, it’s all about how you turn up on that particular day.”
The last time three city players — Sachin Tendulkar (who was leading the team then), Ajit Agarkar and Wasim Jaffer — played at the Wankhede, in February 2000, India lost the Test by four wickets to South Africa. It will be interesting to see if Rohit, Jaiswal and Sarfaraz can turn things in India’s favour this time.
‘We don’t try to get conditions we want’
It is generally believed that the host team enjoys home advantage and prepare the pitch as per their strengths. However, India’s assistant coach Abhishek Nayar has refuted this claim. “I wish we could curate pitches, but we don’t. The curators do and whatever we are provided with — whether it’s a pitch that seams or turns — we go and play. As cricketers and as a team, we play with whatever we are provided. We don’t try to get conditions according to what we want,” Nayar said at the pre-match press conference on Wednesday at Wankhede, where Rohit Sharma & Co, who have already lost the three-match series to New Zealand, will play the third Test, beginning on Friday.
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