India fielding coach R Sridhar reckons that Mohammed Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar will enjoy the challenge of bowling on the green top in Kolkata as much as the Sri Lankan pacers have in the rain-affected opening Test where the hosts are currently in a spot of bother.
After Suranga Lakmal’s (3/5) spell on the first day of the rain-hit series opener, it was Dasun Shanaka’s (2/23) turn to take the spotlight today as he scalped 2 Indian wickets to leave the home team reeling at 74/5 in 32.5 overs.
Talking to the reporters, Sridhar said, “It was fabulous to see so much of lateral movement and swing Lakmal and his fellow bowlers were purchasing from this wicket. Hopefully, Shami and ‘Sultan of swing’ Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar Kumar) would relish the challenge.”
He further elaborated, “This Test can definitely get a result in 270 overs, should we get that. If the weather clears out, it would be really interesting going by the conditions of this Test. Days like these really bring the team together where you spend a lot of time in the dressing room with each other with the team in a bit of an adverse position. I always feel these kinds of days are wonderful for the team.”
Cheteshwar Pujara stood tall amid the ruins with an unbeaten 47 from 102 balls and Sridhar said the key for the India batsman was to narrow down the ‘V’ region to minimise the chance of being caught. He said, “The thing that really stood out was most of his drives were to the right of mid-off. He had a very narrow V. It was a simple mantra and he was successful. It’s one of the best 47 runs from Pujara in last two-three years. He is a batsman who has a grip on every condition when he goes to bat. With moving the ball the game-plan was pretty simple — play as close to your body, play straight.”
The Indian team will be touring to South Africa for a full series early next year and many feel that Kohli should be rested during the two-month long ongoing home series against Sri Lanka, but the skipper insisted that he would ask for rest only when needed.
Describing the same, Sridhar said, “Each member of this team is very proud to represent his country at any given opportunity. Most of the team love to play every match. Knowing Virat, he wears his pride on his sleeve. As long as his body allows he would not miss a single second of the match.”
When asked why Hardik Pandya was rested despite the fact that he played just 3 Tests. Sridhar said: “The parameters we take into consideration is the workload. The time he spent at the crease, overs, batting…based on that, the team management takes a call on who needs to be rotated.”
Stressing the importance of slip catching, Sridhar said, “As a team looking ahead to 15-20 months we are playing more away matches, our slip catching is going to be one of the areas that can contribute to the results which we want to achieve in our away Tests.”
The Indian fielding coach said slip catching is more difficult in subcontinent than abroad. He said, “It’s always a challenge in the subcontinent because of the two-paced nature of the wickets. In England the ball wobbles. We have certain practice methods. We have prepared our best.”
