Former India cricketer Parthiv Patel has launched a scathing attack on the Indian batsmen for their poor performance in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. The star-studded Indian batting line-up has failed to live up to expectations so far.
Star batsmen like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill have been below par so far. 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 had a few starts but couldn't turn them into big ones. Rohit, meanwhile, looked woefully out of form after moving to No.6.
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Parthiv Patel talks about the recent crashes in India
While talking to Cricbuzz, Parthiv Patel mentioned India's recent collapses against both pace and spin bowling. He believes that those collapses did not happen because of extreme aggression but because of the lack of discipline shown by the Indian batsmen.
Patel believes that Indian batsmen need to stick to the traditional style of Test cricket and apply themselves rather than trying to play unsavory shots to be successful in the red-ball format.
“There is no doubt that there have been collapses, especially in the home series. We saw collapses in pitches with a change of rank against New Zealand. When we toured Australia, the collapses continued there,” noted Patel.
“I don't think this has happened because of extreme aggression. If we follow the traditional style of Test cricket and bat with discipline, these are the same batsmen who have performed well in the past. The Indian batsmen need to apply themselves more because they have the ability If I bat with discipline, I can succeed anywhere,” he added.
Indian batteries have been prone to several crashes recently. Even during the Test season at home, the Men in Blue suffered various slumps and were eventually stunned by a visiting New Zealand team 0–3.
Virat Kohli's poor form in Test cricket
Being the two oldest players in the team, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are under immense pressure to perform. But both have struggled for runs recently. Kohli smashed an unbeaten 100 off 143 balls in the second innings of the Perth Test.
However, his weakness off-stump has resurfaced since then. Virat Kohli was constantly troubled by the ball from the fourth and fifth stumps as the Australian fast bowlers constantly tested him.
In three Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy so far, Virat Kohli has scored 126 runs at an average of 31.50. In the previous five home Tests, the 36-year-old had scored 192 runs in 10 innings at an average of 21.33.
Rohit Sharma's figures from India's home Test season
On the other hand, Rohit Sharma has really poor numbers. He was slated to open earlier in the series but missed the first Test due to the birth of his second child. Rohit returned to the team for the second Test and has played ever since.
However, his numbers have dropped considerably. He has scored 19 runs in two Tests so far at an average of 6.33. In the home Test season, Rohit Sharma amassed 133 runs in 10 innings at an average of 13.30.