In an exclusive interview with Star Sports’ ‘Follow the Blues,’ former India captain Sunil Gavaskar shed light on the technical adjustments Indian batsmen must make for the upcoming World Test Championship final. Gavaskar emphasized the importance of bat speed control, highlighting the transition from the fast-paced T20 format to the more controlled bat speed required in test cricket.
He also emphasized the need for batters to play as late as possible in English conditions, allowing for swing and avoiding the mistake of reaching out for the ball. Furthermore, Gavaskar discussed the challenges of playing in English conditions, including the overcast weather and swing in the air, aspects unfamiliar to Indian, West Indian, and Sri Lankan players. He also emphasized the valuable insights Cheteshwar Pujara could provide the team, having experienced The Oval’s conditions.
With Pujara’s knowledge and captaincy experience, his input could prove invaluable, especially against Australian batsman Steve Smith. As Team India prepares for the World Test Championship final, Gavaskar’s analysis provides valuable insights into the technical and environmental challenges.
Speaking exclusively to Star Sports on ‘Follow the Blues,’ former India captain Sunil Gavaskar noted the technical changes the Indian batsmen would have to make playing in the World est Championship final; he said,
“I think they are going to look at their bat speed. Coming from T20, where the bat speed is very fast, to test cricket, where the bat speeds got to be a lot more control, that is something they’ll need to do. They’ll need to play in England as late as possible to allow for the swing to do its bit, not to reach out for the ball, which often many people make the mistake of having played on good pitches. Wherever you play on good pitches, you tend to play through the line, not necessarily half volleys, but in England, those deliveries can move just that little bit. So, I think those are the things that, as a batter, you need to watch out for. As a bowling unit, you’ll need to bowl a much fuller length for your new ball, for the bowlers to get the movement in the air and after pitching.”
Speaking exclusively to Star Sports on ‘Follow the Blues,’ former India captain Sunil Gavaskar highlighted the challenges Team India would face playing in English conditions; he said, “I think the English conditions are challenging because firstly we are used to playing with the sun on our backs. When you are playing in England, you often play in conditions with no sun, it’s a little overcast, and the weather is a little bit cooler, so you sometimes wear a jumper. That’s something that you know, the Indian player, West Indian players, and Sri Lankan players are not used to, so that can be just a little bit of a dampener, a little light, but you just feel slightly burdened by that. So, that is one thing, and because in these conditions, the ball tends to swing in the air not just after pitching, which doesn’t happen in India, and therefore the swing in the air is what sometimes can take you some time to get used to and which is a reason people generally when you are going overseas suggest that you should maybe play two or three warm-up matches, which will give you a better idea of what to get when you are playing in a test match.”
Speaking exclusively to Star Sports on ‘Follow the Blues,’ former India captain Sunil Gavaskar spoke on Cheteshwar Pujara acclimating to English conditions, he said “The fact that he has been around will mean that he will have also seen how the pitch has been behaving at The Oval. He might not have played at The Oval and might be in Sussex, not too far away from London. Still, he will have kept an eye on what is happening, and his input will be invaluable as far as the batting unit is concerned or even as far as the captaincy is concerned. He will have the captains here as far as the Oval pitch is concerned and don’t forget he has also captained the team, so he definitely will have worked out quite a few strategies seeing that Steve Smith, the Australian, is his teammate at the moment.”