Former India cricketer Parthiv Patel has launched a scathing attack on the Indians for their poor performance in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. The star-studded Indian batting line-up has not lived up to expectations so far.
Star batsmen like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill have so far been low-key. Virat Kohli and Yashasvi Jaiswal scored centuries in India’s win in Perth but failed to make an impact in the last two Tests in Adelaide and Brisbane.
On the other hand, Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill are yet to stamp their authority. Gill has had some starts but hasn’t been able to turn them into big ones. Rohit, on the other hand, looked very bad after moving himself to No.6.
Parthiv Patel talks about India’s recent collapses
Speaking to Cricbuzz, Parthiv Patel noted India’s recent collapses against both pace and spin bowling. He believes that these collapses were not due to excessive aggression, but due to the lack of discipline displayed by the Indians.
Patel believes that Indian batsmen need to respect the traditional style of Test cricket and apply themselves instead of playing silly shots to be successful in the red-ball format.
“There is no doubt that collapses have happened, especially in the home series. We saw collapses on rank-turner pitches against New Zealand. When we toured Australia, the collapses continued there,” Patel said.
“I don’t believe it’s because of over-aggression. If we respect traditional Test cricket and disciplined batting, these are the same shots that have done well in the past. Indian batsmen need to apply themselves more because they have the skills. If they bat with discipline, they can succeed anywhere.”
Indian batsmen have been prone to a few slumps of late. Even in the Test season at home, the Men in Blue suffered various collapses, resulting in a stunned 0-3 defeat by visiting New Zealand.
Virat Kohli’s poor form in Test cricket
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, the two oldest players in the side, are under immense pressure to perform. But both have been struggling for runs of late. Kohli smashed an unbeaten 100 to 143 in the second innings of the Perth Test.
However, his weakness off the stumps has since resurfaced. Virat Kohli was constantly worried with the ball at the fourth and fifth stumps as the Australian fast bowler constantly tested him.
In the three Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy so far, Virat Kohli has scored 126 runs at an average of 31.50. In the five home Tests before that, the 36-year-old scored 192 runs in 10 overs at an average of 21.33.
Rohit Sharma’s numbers since India’s home Test season
On the other hand, Rohit Sharma even has poor numbers. He was scheduled to open earlier in the series but missed the first Test due to the birth of his second child. Rohit returned to the squad for the second Test and has played ever since.
However, its number has decreased significantly. He has scored 19 runs at an average of 6.33 in the two Tests so far. In the Test season at home, Rohit Sharma scored 133 runs in 10 overs at an average of 13.30.
