"Should've Played Ranji Trophy": Ex-India Star Calls Out Players' 'Negative Mindset'
When Gautam Gambhir was asked if Indian batters should've played a few Ranji Trophy matches before the start of the Australia Test series, he was in absolute agreement.
Indian batters haven't managed to get going in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. The 2-1 lead that India hold at the moment has more to do with the spinners' performance than the batters. Barring Rohit Sharma in the first Test, none of the Indians have managed to touch the triple-digit mark in the series so far. When asked about the team's preparation for the series, Gautam Gambhir had no hesitation in suggesting that the players should've played a few Ranji Trophy games before the start of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Gambhir is the sort of person who doesn't mind being critical of someone. In a chat on Sports Tak, the cricketer-turned-politician was asked a number of questions about the batters' struggles in the series.
Gambhir was asked if Indian batters have been playing on bad pitches in the Border-Gavaskar series or if they've lost the art of playing spin.
The former India opener admitted that the art of defending has gone a bit while the art of six-hitting has increased.
When Gambhir was asked if Indian batters should've played a few Ranji Trophy matches before the start of the Australia Test series, he was in absolute agreement.
In response, Gambhir said: “Yes, they should've played Ranji Trophy matches, not 100% but 200%”.
"The Indian batters should have played a few Ranji Trophy matches ahead of the Test series against Australia. However, they shouldn't have played those matches just to prepare. It doesn't matter if you conduct 20-day camps or bat in the nets.
"Australia struggled in the first two matches because of their mindset of not playing practice matches. This is a negative mindset. The same goes for the Indian batters. It is very important to play red-ball cricket before an important series," he said.
The first three matches of the Test series have overwhelmingly favoured spinners but things are expected to change a little as India and Australia square off in the 4th and final match of the series, starting March 09 in Ahmedabad.
India Cricket Team
Australia Cricket Team
Gautam Gambhir