India vs New Zealand: Natural variation worries

Mumbai: On a pitch where one ball turns and the other doesn’t, both from the same spot, there’s little a batter can do but go back to the basics and hope he’s picking the right shot for the perceived delivery. It’s not the easiest of things to do, least of all in India. 

There was a time when the Indians knew how to do that, but over the last few years, they have looked uncomfortable with this natural variation. The latest instance of this trend was when Mitchell Santner picked up 13 wickets in Pune in the last Test to give New Zealand a series-sealing victory. 

When asked how hard it actually is to adjust to deviation, India’s assistant coach Abhishek Nayar got technical, but while doing so, he also admitted that India’s batters were not as focused as they should be under such circumstances.   

“When certain balls are turning and certain balls are going straight, it plays with your mind,” he said on Wednesday. “It’s really important for a batter to then try and understand how the ball is coming out of the hand, which balls are undercutting, which balls are over-spinning. That’s where you need to focus a little harder and understand those kinds of nuances.

“But a lot of times, it’s not so much about the batter who’s playing in, but it’s about the atmosphere outside. Sometimes it can be intimidating when you see a ball turning and going straight on. As for the exact science, you need to focus more on release points.”

The only person who looked adept at countering this was Yashavi Jaiswal in the second innings in Pune. Nayar insisted that Jaiswal’s 65-ball 77 was a great knock, but also made an excuse for the remainder of the batting order, saying typically openers are better against the spinners because they have already spent time in the middle. 

“There’s always a difference when you start against spin compared to when you played pace and you’re playing spin. There’s always a change in mindset, there’s a bit of comfort, you’ve got a good start, you’ve got a few runs,” he sermoned.  

“Jaiswal got off to a good start, and so he was able to transfer his confidence to when the spinners came on. But the whole team can’t play like Jaiswal, and Jaiswal can’t play like the whole team. I think there will always be an advantage for an opener on a turning track because he will get to impose pressure, but guys batting lower down will have to absorb that pressure and then get aggressive.”

Every chance Nayar got, he inserted ‘aggression’ into sentences because that’s the attitude the team wants to adopt in the days and years to come. However, as they look to transition, they have not put on a good look. If anything, they have never looked this vulnerable at home, and that comes down to their tackling of spin. 

“That is a bit of a harsh statement,” he started when said that they have been poor at spin for a while. “I felt they (New Zealand) exploited the conditions well and they were very consistent. But, see, when you are trying to achieve something, there is always going to be a time when you take a certain dip because you are trying to play cricket differently and you are trying to push yourself out of your comfort zone. 

“Sometimes the results don’t go your way but I always believe if you are patient enough and when that upward curve hits the team and hits an individual, then your purple patch lasts for really long. We are hoping that the transition that we are trying to have in terms of the mindset and the approach will work soon.”