‘Rajkot Test Probably The Best Performance Since I’ve Been With The Team’

Nov 14, 2016 at 2:56 PM

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‘Rajkot Test Probably The Best Performance Since I’ve Been With The Team’

England head coach Trevor Bayliss has hailed his team’s performance in the drawn first Test against India and called it the ‘best performance’ under his tenure.

Few people were giving Alastair Cook’s men a chance, who somehow won the first Test and lost the second Test against Bangladesh prior to the series against India. Their struggle against the Bangladeshi spinners convinced people that they will find it extremely tough to counter the in-form Indian spinners. However, the visitors proved everyone wrong and they not only played the Indian spinners comprehensively but also had the hosts in a spot of bother on the final day.

Delighted by his team’s performance, Bayliss said: “Win, lose or draw, I thought effort-wise that’s probably the best performance we’ve had since I’ve been with the team.”

“The way the guys played in this Test should give us plenty of confidence. Our batters played well against their spinners, and our spinners and seamers all bowled well. We acquitted ourselves very well.

While Bayliss is confident after the impressive performance from his team in Rajkot, he is under no illusion that Virat Kohli’s men will come hard at them in the remaining four matches.

Bayliss said: “We’re under no illusions that these next four Tests could be even tougher than this one. But if we put in more performances like that, we’ll probably be playing consistent cricket – and that’s what we’re after – and we’ll have a chance of winning more games. So we’ve got to continue putting in that effort. But if we do, we’ve a chance of winning.”

The former Sri Lanka coach also heaped praise on 19-year-old opener Haseeb Hameed, who made his debut in the game. He scored over 100 runs, including an impressive knock of 82 runs in the second innings.

“It’s early days for Hameed,” Bayliss said. “But the early signs are that he’s a very, very good player. For one so young, 19, his composure is very good. He knows how his game works – something that players years in advance of him would like to have – and without wanting to put too much pressure on him, the signs are good.

“He’s one of those batters, a little bit like a Sangakkara, who just loves batting. Whether it’s in the nets, having throwdowns or with a tennis ball in the changing room, he just loves to have a bat in his hand. It was obviously a very good start. He’s been with the squad for about six weeks, but it feels like he’s been here for two or three years – he’s got that type of a personality,” he added.

Speaking on senior fast bowler James Anderson, who is expected to return to action by the third Test, Bayliss said the team management will assess his condition in the next two days.

“We’ll assess him in the next couple of days,” Bayliss said. “But from all reports, he’s been bowling well in the nets. The medical staff say he’s in better shape than he was when he came back and played against Pakistan. We’ll put him through his paces again. He’s a guy who’s always looked after himself, so he’s nicely fit.”

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