India’s bowling coach B. Arun defended the performance of his bowlers in the last match in Headingley, saying it was a one-off, especially considering the team was defending a low first innings score.
“In the last Test, yes, I would agree the English bowling looked a lot better. But I would like to see how they bowl when they are defending a total of 78,” said Arun when asked about India’s lacklustre bowling efforts.
Not an excuse
“It is not an excuse for the bowlers, there is always room for improvement and we have looked at those areas. Ishant Sharma’s form in the last game was a bit of concern but we have sorted things out. So it will be a different cup of tea in the Oval Test,” he added.
Explaining the inclusion of Prasidh Krishna in the squad, he said, “It is a precautionary inclusion. Considering the workload issues, we needed to induct him into the Test team.”
Discussing the chances of off-spinner R. Ashwin playing his first match of the tour at The Oval, Arun said the final call will be taken before the toss.
“The history at Oval is that it takes spin but you also know the Englishmen are wary of Ashwin’s abilities and what he could do if there’s any assistance from the track. I think the most realistic option would be to look at the track in the morning because anything can happen from now to tomorrow,” said the former Indian pacer.
On the team’s plans to contain England captain Joe Root who has made three centuries so far, Arun said, “We have given him pretty fast starts. Obviously, we will look deep into those areas and stem those.”
When asked about how the team can bounce back after the innings defeat in the last Test, he pointed out the comebacks in the series against Australia and England recently after losses in the first Test.
Done it in the past
“We have done it in the past. We have been bowled out for 36 (Adelaide 2020) and bounced back from that.
“Even in India, we suffered a big defeat to England in the first Test (Chennai). We can take the confidence from what we have done in the past and I am sure you will see a much more spirited performance,” said Arun.
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