India wicketkeeper KS Bharat said on the eve of the second Test that Indian batters have worked on the reverse sweep after their defeat in Hyderabad.
In a come-from-behind victory in Hyderabad, India suffered a defeat against England despite being led by 190 runs in the first innings. When England played their first Test match in India under Brendon McCullum Ben Stokes, their approach was typically unconventional, but it worked wonders for them. .
Ben Duckett warned before the series that he would use the reverse sweep as a forward defense. England’s batsmen could not be further from this statement, employing the sweep and all its variations to good effect. Meanwhile, India was lying dormant, unable to implement the tried and true methods.
England scored 54 runs off 35 reverse sweep attempts in their 2nd inns of this Hyderabad Test.
This is the most runs scored by a team inside in Test cricket (where shots are recorded) over the last 10 years.
They also have the most reverse sweep attempts with 35 attempts. … https://t.co/I3VBlHjP0A
– Bharath Seervi (@SeerviBharath) 28. 2024 年 1 月
At a press conference ahead of the second Test in Vizag, Bharat said India will try to emulate England’s approach in Hyderabad, with particular emphasis on the use of reverse sweeps.
“We play cricket on these tracks a lot because we play in India. It’s not like we don’t know how to sweep, reverse sweep, paddle, but on those days the team I will take my decision as a batsman depending on the situation,” Bharat said.
“In team meetings, we talked about things we could have done better, but there’s certainly very little planning.” [We] looked at how they approached the first game and made some reverse [sweeps]. I’m definitely keeping an eye on what they did. We’ve definitely been working on that. ”
Rohit Sharma was one of the few Indian batsmen to use the reverse sweep in the Hyderabad Test, while other batsmen preferred to use straight shots more often.
Bharat stressed the importance of on-field decision-making and said that while India had also practiced reverse sweeps before the first Test, it was their decision to use this option frequently in Hyderabad. He said it was not allowed.
“And it’s very clear that we can bat freely.” We also practiced reverses (sweeps) before the first game. However, playing center field is a hitter’s personal plan. If the team asks us to play a certain way, we are ready to do it. ”
Bharat was only playing his sixth Test, but he made two important contributions with the bat. He scored 41 off 81 balls in the first innings and 28 off 59 balls in the second, giving India a brief glimmer of hope in the chase after a collapse in the middle order left India in disarray.
The second Test will be played in Vizag on a surface that England captain Ben Stokes feels will allow him to play “a bit better at first than last week (Hyderabad)”. be exposed. p>
Reversal or not, India will be desperate to recover and take a 1-1 lead heading into the third Test in Rajkot.
Subscribe to the Wisden Cricket YouTube channel for post-match analysis, player interviews, and much more.
