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Former Indian skipper Sunil Gavaskar was very critical of the Indian team after their innings defeat in the first Test in Centurion against South Africa. India lost the first test by an innings and 32 runs which was their fifth straight defeat in Tests in SENA countries.
India scored 245 and 131 in the two innings of the first Test as their batters were outplayed by the Protean bowlers, They had three batters who were touring South Africa for the first time and their inexperience was shown by the way they were dismissed. Even Rohit Sharma who has prior experience of playing in South African conditions struggled as well.
The Indian batters looked submissive against the Protean bowlers who thrived in home conditions. Kagiso Rabada, Nandre Burget and Maco Jansen formed a formidable trio who upset the Indian batters. Rabada now has 51 wickets in just 13 Test matches against India.
Also Read: IND vs SA: “It’s Not That We Don’t Know How To Bat Outside India” – Rohit Sharma After 1st Test Loss
Sunil Gavaskar during a conversation with Star Sports explained the actual reason behind India’s loss in the Centurion Test. He was livid with India not playing enough practice games ahead of this important 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 decided to play an intra-squad match as a preparation for the first Test which as per Gavaskar was a joke.
“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 further.
The former Indian skipper further said that the word “workload” should not be overused whenever India is touring overseas, especially for a Test series. He further added that playing practice games against the South Africa A or any other state team would have been a better way of preparing for the Test series.
Remove The Word Workload From Indian Cricket’s Dictionary: Sunil Gavaskar
“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” said Gavaskar.
The former Indian skipper added that the practice games are important, especially for the younger players of the group, and that the senior players can join the team late but the younger players should be allowed to play practice games before an important Test series such as 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.”
India now have a chance to draw the Test series if they win the Cape Town Test between January 3-7, 2024.
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