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Legendary Indian batter Sunil Gavaskar opened up after Team India’s 0-3 drubbing against New Zealand in the three-match Test series. While this was their first-ever series defeat on Indian soil in three or more Tests, the former Indian batter after this offered a piece of advice to the hosts as they will be taking on Australia down under in a five-match Test series.
As the highly-anticipated five-match Test series is set to kickstart from November 22 in Perth, prior to that they were set to play an intra-squad warm-up match with India A, which has now been cancelled. Seeing this, the legendary Indian batter has advised the Men in Blue to play a few warm-up matches between their scheduled fixtures.
Practice as much as you can: Sunil Gavaskar to Team India
The former Indian batter after the completion of the Test series told that the youngsters who have never played in Australia should acclimatize to the conditions, especially Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel and Yashasvi Jaiswal. "Just believe in yourself. Practice as much as you can. I think there is some merit in facing throwdowns. But it is more important to play regular bowling. Face the quicker bowlers. Not (Jasprit) Bumrah, of course, because Bumrah can kill you. But you can ask others to bowl from 20 yards instead of 22 yards," Gavaskar told the Indian Express.
"So, therefore, the ball comes onto the bat quickly. And you will get used to it. That is what I would say to the batsmen. In five-day games, you have to be patient and you will score runs. Australian pitches are the best pitches to bat on after the new ball is done. And nowadays, the new ball is only swinging and moving for 10-12 overs,” he added.
With just five Tests left for India to confirm their third straight appearance in the World Test Championship (WTC) Final, set to take place in June 2025 at the Lord’s Cricket Ground, they need to win the series, registering atleast three wins. However, it seems to be a herculean task, a 4-1 result in their favour will confirm them a spot without depending on other team results.
