ENG v IND 2018: Team India is yet to step into nets for training after Lord’s Test debacle

England and India will play the 3rd Test at Nottingham from August 18.

Team India has lots to do before the third Test at Nottingham | GettyTeam India suffered a humiliating defeat in the second Test at Lord’s ground by an innings and 159 runs. This win gave England team a lead of 0-2 in the five-Test match series.

After the defeat at Birmingham, many Indian fans expected a big fight from the Indian team at Lord’s but the meek surrender at the hands of Broad and Anderson has seemed to take the sheen off one of the much-awaited Test series of the year.

The fans who were clamoring for tickets have gone quiet. A sense of resignation seems to be creeping in. Tuesday, August 14 was the second day on which the Indian team didn’t have any net practice after the Lord’s debacle.

The team is supposed to travel to Nottingham from London only on Wednesday, which means they will get back to training only on Thursday. So the likes of KL Rahul, M Vijay, Ajinkya Rahane and others - who have looked clueless against the moving ball - will get only two sessions to work on their deficiencies.

"Coaches talk to the team, try to tell the players where they are going wrong and then work on that in the nets. Extra practice doesn't make any difference at this stage of the tour," a source said.

Sunil Gavaskar has already criticized Team India for not practicing enough or playing practice games.

Gavaskar had said, "It was no preparation at all. I can understand that you need to switch off after a series but that can't be five days at a stretch. It can be three plus three-day breaks between matches, but not five days."

"They have not sat down, talked or practiced in the nets and got their heads around how they are going to bat differently in England," Boycott wrote in his column for the Daily Telegraph.

It seems like when the struggling batsmen should have taken some net bowlers and hit the nets to iron out their flaws; they have chosen to stay indoors and kept to themselves.

"Obviously, the more you practice the better you get. But it's important to practice intelligently and address the issues in the right manner," Ganguly said after the second Test debacle.

Kohli, on the other hand, has brushed off the opinions of many greats that batsmen need to iron out their technical flaws; said, "I don't see any technical deficiency. If a batsman is clear in the head and he's clear about the plans he's making, he should be in a position to counter the moving ball. As a batsman, I've experienced in the past if my head's clouded then I feel like the ball can do this, or that, or even that. You know there are three-four scenarios that run in your head.

The Indian team management will be hoping for clear skies at Nottingham so that they can be prepared to launch a comeback in the series.

(with inputs from Times of India)

 
 

By Jatin Sharma - 15 Aug, 2018

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