Abhishek Nayar, assistant coach of the Indian team, spoke on various issues ahead of the second Test against Bangladesh in Kanpur that starts from September 27 onwards. India is 1-0 up in the two-Test series after winning the first Test in Chennai by 280 runs.
Abhishek Nayar stated that the nature of the pitch and overhead conditions on the morning of the match will influence the decision-making process. The Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) has constructed two pitches for the competition, which starts here on Thursday.
During the optional training session at Green Park Stadium on the day before the match, skipper Rohit Sharma and coach Gautam Gambhir examined the two surfaces.
If India chooses to play three spinners in Kanpur, the additional spinner might be Akshar Patel or Kuldeep Yadav. When asked if Kuldeep will be able to play at home, Nayar declined to comment.
“To be honest, I don’t know which surface we are going to play on yet. Both the pitches look pretty good. Kanpur is often known to have good pitches. I am not sure about the bounce yet. With the conditions and the forecast, it is going to be interesting, when we turn up in the morning, how the conditions are. A lot will depend on that because as you know in Test wicket, conditions can be a huge factor in how the pitch plays.
It is too early for us to judge and decide or have any sort of thought process on the pitch or the conditions. But we are hoping we come in tomorrow to a sunny day and not an overcast Kanpur,” Nayar said during the pre-match press conference on Thursday.
Abhishek Nayar also spoke on KL Rahul’s batting form. Rahul returned to the Indian Test team after injuring his hamstring during the first Test against England earlier this year. KL Rahul has been around for a long but has not established himself on the Test side. In 51 matches, he has scored 2901 runs, averaging 34.12.
“Sometimes it is just direction and I feel KL is someone who understands his game very well. In South Africa, he played tremendous knocks. We are very hopeful… the kind of conversation that Gautam has had and I have had with him that hopefully, we can have a turnaround in KL as well.
These things sometimes take time. But I feel the way he is batting, even in the last game, I know we did not end up giving him much of a shot in the second innings. And I am pretty sure going forward you will see the expectations and the performances that you have from him,” Nayar said.
The Indian team doesn’t have a designated vice-captain and Nayar said it does not need one.
He said: “You’ve got a lot of captains, ideal captains in this team. The thought process of these youngsters is of a senior player. ..and with the likes of Virat, and Rohit in the dressing room, it just speeds up that process wherein you’re learning a lot faster.”
(PTI inputs)
