Middle-order in ODIs and opening slot in Tests is a cause for concern, admits Vikram Rathour
India's newly-appointed batting coach Vikram Rathour has admitted that the middle-order in ODIs and the opening slot in Tests are an area concern for the Indian cricket team. However, he also reassured that there are enough young players coming through the ranks who can fill in the spots.
Having replaced Sanjay Bangar as the batting coach of the Indian men's cricket team, the onus will now be on Vikram Rathour to get things back on track within the Indian batting setup. Despite being the No.1 side in Tests while also being one of the most dominant sides in 50-over cricket, there are still gaping holes in the batting which have not been addressed for a long while. And Rathour also admits the same, stating that the middle-order in ODIs and the opening slot in Tests are a major area of concern for the team.
"The middle-order in one-day is not doing well and we must, of course, sort it out...The other area of concern is the opening partnership in Tests," Rathour told BCCI's official website, reported Times of India.
"We have options and there is healthy competition. We need to find a way for them to be more consistent," he added
However, Rathour was adamant that there were personnel good enough to fill in the holes, taking the cases of Shreyas Iyer and Manish Pandey, who have done well across both domestic and international cricket, as an example to showcase the bench strength in the batting set-up.
"Shreyas Iyer has done well in the last couple of games and we also have Manish Pandey. These two guys have done very well in domestic cricket and with India A. These are the batters who are capable of doing the job and I have no doubt about it in my mind," he said.
"It is a matter of getting it right at the top level. We need to back them and provide them with the right preparations so that they can be there for a longer time. They have enough talent in them to do well," he added.
Having previously worked with the players and the coaching staff thanks to his stint as a national selector in the past, Rathour said that he will benefit from having already known the personnel. However, he admitted that the challenge for him now is to take it up a notch and take the team to the next level.
"We have a great set of people in the coaching staff. I have the advantage of knowing them as I was a national selector. I know the players and have worked with them at some point in time," Rathour said.
"I have worked with Mr Ravi Shastri, Mr B. Arun and Mr R Sridhar and also Mr Virat Kohli. I know the batters personally and share a good rapport with all of them. It is now about taking it to the next level," he signed off.
