London [UK], July 8 (ANI): India’s batting coach, Sitanshu Kotak, believes it is “fair” for England to want a more “challenging” wicket at Lord’s after witnessing a run-fest in the first two Tests in the gruelling five-match series.
From Headingley to Edgbaston, boundaries drizzled and centuries rained as India left no stone unturned to exploit the benign batting surface in Leeds and Birmingham. Across four innings, India handsomely struck 1849 runs as the series stands level at 1-1.
With less than 48 hours left for the third Test to kick off at the ‘Home of Cricket’, Lord’s, the strip is covered with a fair amount of grass, suggesting more assistance to bowlers. Kotak addressed the signs pointing towards a bowling paradise and believes it is “fair” for England to ask for it, considering the possibility that the hosts will have Gus Atkinson and tearaway Jofra Archer back in the final XI.
“After the last two games, if, as a host, England think that they want to give a little bit more challenging wicket, it’s fair enough. And it will be a challenge for anyone on any wicket. Another thing, it will be a challenge, Jofra coming in, there might be a couple of bowling changes in the England team, but we don’t know. But the wicket also will be a little more challenging, it seems,” Kotak told reporters during a press conference ahead of the third Test on Thursday.
Kotak outlined the best approach for batters to negate the potential threat and added, “So I’m not really thinking that it will be very challenging. No, you bat well, it’s fine. If you don’t bat well, any wicket can be challenging.”
In the series opener at Headingley, India had five centurions, including Yashasvi Jaiswal (101), captain Shubman Gill (147), KL Rahul (137) and Rishabh Pant (134 and 118). In the second Test, Gill thrived in the purple patch.
He notched up an exquisite 269(387). In the second innings, when runs at a lightning-quick pace were the need of the hour, Gill hammered 161 from 162 deliveries to propel India to set a daunting 608-run target for the hosts.
Kotak didn’t take credit for the success Indian batters have savoured in the first two Tests in England. He hailed the Indian stars and said, “First thing, so my ideology is, I would never like to take credit for our better scoring runs. So it’s definitely not me, it’s their performance.” (ANI)
