"Little Variety To Trouble Batters": Sunil Gavaskar's Blunt Take On India Debutant
Sunil Gavaskar said the player could have been nervous as it was his first game for the country.
- Saransh Jain took three wickets for 167 runs on his Test debut against Sri Lanka in Colombo
- Sunil Gavaskar suggested the spinner may have been nervous and lacked variety in his bowling
- "Looked an honest trier with little variety to trouble batters at this level. He could have been nervous"
All-rounder Saransh Jain had a mediocre introduction to international cricket. He got his India cap for the recently concluded second Test match against Sri Lanka in Colombo. On a pitch that assisted spinners to a great extent, Saransh could pick only three wickets while conceding 167 runs in the game. He struggled despite the spin-friendly conditions. Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar analysed the performance and concluded that the spinner could have been nervous as it was his first game for the country.
"The debutant off-spinner looked an honest trier with little variety to trouble batters at this level. Sure, he could have been nervous considering that he was making his debut, yet there was no deception through the air and an over-reliance on the pitch for assistance," Gavaskar told Mid-Day.
The legendary batter also slammed India's poor bowling in the game, which saw Sri Lanka pull off a shocking draw. The result significantly dented India's World Test Championship final hopes.
The Shubman Gill-led side looked set to win the game after securing a 213-run first-innings lead and enforcing follow-on, but Sri Lanka made a remarkable comeback, especially through the lower order, to end the game in a draw.
The Lankans reached 429/9 in their second innings, taking a lead of 216 runs, when the match was called off.
"If they couldn't dismiss the lower-order batters on a pitch where there was some turn, it does make Indian cricket fans a bit nervous. There was a sameness to the bowling. On a pitch that got slower as the match progressed, the fast bowlers struggled to get the ball up towards the batters' shoulders. Here, perhaps the extra pace and height of Gurnoor Brar may well have come in handy," said Gavaskar.
India dropped Kuldeep Yadav for the second game, bringing in Saransh Jain.
"Kuldeep Yadav's absence also did not help, as a good wrist-spinner can get the lower-order batters out in a jiffy most of the time," Gavaskar concluded.
India Cricket Team
Sri Lanka Cricket Team
Sunil Gavaskar