Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar came down heavily on Rohit Sharma's Team India following their innings defeat in the opening Test against South Africa in Centurion. India's defeat by an innings and 32 runs marked their fifth consecutive defeat in Test matches in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia) countries.
In the first Test, India posted scores of 245 and 131, with their batters being comprehensively outclassed by South Africa's bowlers. The inexperience of three Indian batsmen, touring South Africa for the first time, was evident in their dismissals. Even the seasoned Rohit Sharma, familiar with South African conditions, found it challenging.
The Indian batters appeared overpowered by the Proteas' bowling attack, with Kagiso Rabada, Nandre Burger, and Marco Jansen forming a potent combination that disrupted the Indian batting lineup. Rabada, notably, has now taken 51 wickets in just 13 Test matches against India.
During a discussion on Star Sports, Sunil Gavaskar pinpointed the primary reason for India's loss in the Centurion Test. He was particularly critical of the team's lack of sufficient practice games prior to this crucial Test series.
“The reasons are straightforward – you didn’t play any matches here. If you straightaway play Test matches, it doesn’t work out. Yes, you sent the India A team. The India A team should actually come before the tour” said Gavaskar.
India opted for an intra-squad match as their preparatory approach for the first Test, a decision which Sunil Gavaskar regarded as inadequate and almost laughable.
“You need to play practice matches after coming here. Intra-squad is a joke because would your fast bowlers bowl extremely fast to your batters, would they bowl bouncers, as they would be scared about injuring their batters” Gavaskar added.
Gavaskar, also commented that the term ‘workload’ should not be excessively cited as an excuse when the Indian team is on an overseas tour, particularly for a Test series. He emphasised that engaging in practice matches against South Africa A or other regional teams would have been a more effective method of preparation for the Test series.
“So it’s better to play against the South Africa A team or play two or three matches against a county or a state. The schedule that is made these days, where you play only Test matches with a gap of seven days in between – remove the ‘workload’ word from Indian cricket’s dictionary” the 74-year-old further said.
Gavaskar also stressed on the importance of practice games, particularly for the younger members of the squad. He suggested that while the senior players could afford to join the team later, it is crucial for the younger players to participate in these practice matches before embarking on a significant Test series like the current one.
“Nothing happens to senior cricketers. They will play the second, third, and fourth match even if they fail. Practice matches are necessary for the young players. If you want, you can ask your senior players to come at ease, they can come a day before the Test match, but you need to arrange practice matches for the young players,” Gavaskar concluded.
India have the opportunity to level the Test series by securing a victory in the second and the final Test which is scheduled to take place from January 3 to January 7, 2024 in Cape Town.
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