When R. Ashwin gladly expected the added responsibility of batting at No. 6 apart from his prime duty of picking wickets, it was an example of a professional cricketer standing up and fulfilling his team’s requirements. India made three changes to their playing XI for the third Test and replaced Cheteshwar Pujara with a more attacking Rohit Shamra. The changes in the team surprised many and Virat Kohli walking out at No. 3 even baffled a few as he has never scored a half-century at that spot. But for those who make the decisions, it was a classic case of adapting to different environments.
Though India were 126/5 at one stage with Shikhar Dhawan, Kohli and Rohit falling for single digit scores, it was Ashwin’s willingness to adapt that pulled the visitors out of a hole.
Batting coach Bangar cited the example of India’s last away tour to Sri Lanka when Pujara opened the innings in the third Test and scored an unbeaten 145. The final test was Pujara’s first of the tour and India’s third different opening in pair in three Tests.
The former India player hinted that the Test team will not have a rigid batting order, but will change as per conditions and combinations. “The biggest advantage of this batting group is that they are willing to come out of their comfort zone and not just bat at one position. Whatever is asked of them, they are willing to do and it is a very, very good trend to have of having a flexible line up.
“Someone like a Cheteshwar Pujara opened the innings in Sri Lanka and he got a hundred. And there have been numerous instances with Ajinkya Rahane being pushed at number three and then batting at number five as and when the team requires of him. To have that sort of flexibility is a great thing and the greater satisfaction is that you have a group of players who are willing to do that,” he said after the match.
The coach added that although India’s end of day score – 234/5 – may not look threatening, it was still a fighting effort with a damp wicket and a slow outfield. Right from India’s first practice game in St. Kitts, the outfields have been slow resulting in lesser boundaries. “On the scoreboard it looks 234, but if you consider the state of the outfield - it is very slow - the ball softens up a bit in the middle overs and whatever runs you see being scored at a faster clip is when the ball is new and hard.”
He also touched upon a key topic that holds a lot of significance among the followers of the game. Bangar said the Indian team does not give too much importance to milestones, but looks at the contribution of the individual to the team’s cause. He lauded Saha’s fighting approach as the wicketkeeper shared a crucial unbeaten 108-run stand with in-form Ashwin. “We are not looking at personal landmarks but what we see is that the contribution a player makes, not necessarily a fifty or a hundred, but even if it is a vital 40 which he got in both the Test matches and also the contributions he has been making in the lower order in the Sri Lanka series and South Africa series.”
