India's Gameplan Against Sri Lanka Slammed In Brutal Verdict: "Not Quite Sure"
Harsha Bhogle was extremely critical of India's batting approach in the second innings on Day 4 of the first Test match against Sri Lanka on Tuesday.
- Harsha Bhogle criticized India's slow batting in the second innings on Day 4 of first Test against Sri Lanka
- India set Sri Lanka a target of 372 after being all out for 193 with Rishabh Pant scoring 66 off 69 balls
- "Not quite sure what India's approach was in the last 40 minutes or so," said Bhogle
Indian commentator Harsha Bhogle was extremely critical of India's batting approach in the second innings on Day 4 of the first Test match against Sri Lanka on Tuesday. After taking a big lead of 178 runs, India came to bat on Tuesday but were all out for just 193. While they set Sri Lanka a target of 372 to win, Pant was the top performer as he slammed 66 off 69 deliveries. Besides Pant, Devdutt Padikkal and KL Rahul were the only batter to register double-digit scores. Bhogle pointed out that India batted for too long in the initial stage of their innings without adding a lot of runs.
He said that with rain threatening the match, there can be a scenario where India may not have enough time to take 10 wickets in order to clinch the victory.
"Not quite sure what India's approach was in the last 40 minutes or so. They took time out of the game but didn't put too many runs on the board. I would have thought that with uncertain weather, they might give themselves as much time as possible," wrote Bhogle on X. "The ground staff are ready with covers," he added in another post.
Meanwhile, Devdutt Padikkal asserted that Test cricket remains his “ultimate goal”, and subtle technical adjustments to his batting has helped him make an instant impact in the ongoing first Test against Sri Lanka.
In his first Test in nearly two years, Padikkal made 167 and 44, playing a massive hand in India's surge towards a victory.
“I think I have always been aware that Test cricket is my ultimate goal. So, I have tried to model my game in such a way that I don't go too far away from my basics. I try to make sure that I am in a place that I am always equipped to switch to red ball because that is my first priority,” Padikkal said in the post-day press conference.
However, the Karnataka skipper acknowledged that shifting between white and red ball formats has not been an easy job, and has required a careful adjustments to his game.
“In white ball cricket, I have a particular set-up that helps me play a lot more shots and, you know, freeze my arms up a little bit. But in red ball, it's important that I tighten that side of my game… just my hands being a little closer in red ball.
“But at the same time, mentally, it's important that I make that shift. It's not an easy thing to do when you keep shifting from white ball to red ball. But I think I have got better at it and, hopefully, I can keep improving on it,” he added.
(With PTI inputs)
India Cricket Team
Sri Lanka Cricket Team
Rishabh Pant