India vs England | Former players criticize visitors for not practicing after Lord’s defeat
The Indian cricket team has not had a practice session in the past few days after the unforgettable innings defeat in the second Test match at Lord’s. While Geoffrey Boycott said that India deserved the thrashing, Sourav Ganguly emphasized on the importance of practice in any sport.
Tuesday was the second day since the Lord’s Test ended and as the days passed by, none of the Indian players were seen on the field for a practice session. According to the travel schedule, the team would be reaching Nottingham today (August 15). As a result, the likes of KL Rahul, M Vijay, Ajinkya Rahane, and others, who have looked clueless against the swinging ball, would get only two sessions to train (starting from Thursday).
Captain Virat Kohli, who is very active on social media, tried to lift the spirits of the Indian fans as he wrote a quote about winning, losing and never giving up.
“Sometimes we win and other times we learn. You never give up on us and we promise to never give up on you either. Onwards and upwards,” Kohli wrote on his social page.
On the other hand, a source close to the team insisted that the players needed the break to work on the mental aspect of the game and the extra practice sessions won’t make a difference at this stage of the series.
“Extra practice sessions at this stage of the tour won’t make a significant difference. Coaches talk to the team, try to tell the players where they are going wrong and then work on that in the training sessions,” a source said.
However, former England great Geoffrey Boycott, in his column in the Daily Telegraph, lashed out at the way India performed in both the Test matches (at Edgbaston and Lord’s). He felt that the Indian team lacked practice and did not plan properly for the England tour.
“They have not sat, discussed or practised in the nets and got their heads around how they are going to bat differently in England,” Boycott wrote in his column.
Former India captain, Sourav Ganguly, though, felt that the team needed to practice intelligently and address the issues in the correct manner.
“Obviously, the more a team practises, the better it gets. But it’s important to understand the need of practising intelligently and addressing the issues in the right manner,” Ganguly said.
However, Kohli disagreed with the greats on a few technical issues that needed to be dealt with. He felt that it was more about the mental aspect of the sport rather than the technical issues.
“I do not see any technical deficiency. If a batsman is clear in the head and he is clear about the plan’s he is making, he should be in a position to counter the moving ball,” Kohli said.
