Vijay Bharadwaj, former India all-rounder from Karnataka, who played three Tests and 10 ODIs for India in the late 1990s believes that even though the Indian team is well poised there just might be a factor that may worry Virat Kohli and his team. Vijay Bharadwaj reckons India’s ‘fragile middle order’ could be a concern because of which the onus will be more on the top-order batsmen.
The final of the World Test Championship is currently the talk of the town. Two evenly-matched sides India and New Zealand are competing in the final of this ICC event with the inaugural WTC title on the line. It doesn’t get bigger than this. Former cricketers are coming up with predictions already. Indian 20 member contingent would then meet England in a 5 match Test series.
Vijay Bharadwaj: India Will Need A Good Start From Rohit Sharma And Inexperienced Shubman Gill As The Middle Order Looks Fragile If The Openers Fail
The legendary batsman Rahul Dravid feels this is India’s biggest chance to win a Test series in England, whereas former spinner Monty Panesar has backed Virat Kohli’s team to inflict a 5-0 sweep.
“One thing worrying is the inexperience of Gill in Tests and the inexperience of playing Tests in England for Rohit. For New Zealand to have the edge, they need to get Pujara and Kohli early into the crease. India will need a good start from Rohit and Gill. If the openers are fragile, the middle-order also looks fragile. That is the test Rohit has to pass,” Vijay Bharadwaj told SportsKeeda.
While for Shubman Gill, Mayank Agarwal, Washington Sundar, and Mohammed Siraj, along with a few more, this will be their maiden tour of England as international cricketers, the big three of India batting – Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, and Cheteshwar Pujara will embark on their third Test tour of the country.
Rohit Sharma has played only one Test in England and that came in 2014 when he batted at No. 6. Since his elevation as a Test opener in 2019, he has been quite impressive but he will be gearing up for the English test. Rohit Sharma had aggregated 345 runs averaging 57.5 in the recently concluded England series at home. His sublime 161-run knock had helped the hosts winning the 2nd Test at Chennai and draw level in the series.
Vijay Bharadwaj: It’s Important To Score A Ton Like Rahul Dravid As “India Has To Straightaway Get Into The Match Mould
New Zealand would have the edge over India as they would have already played a couple of Tests against England prior to the WTC final. Hence, they would be more acclimatized to the conditions there. Vijay Bharadwaj believes India should try and get adapted to the conditions as much as possible, and gave a wonderful example of a batsman Rahul Dravid who did it with his razor-sharp focus.
“The team has to straightaway get into the match mould. It is not easy for batsmen to get set and then carry on. When you get set, it is important that you score a century. Rahul Dravid was able to do that with the kind of focus that he had. Rohit and Gill should not think that by scoring 40 or 50, their job is done. That said, the fragile batting order is a worrying factor,” said the former all-rounder Vijay Bharadwaj.
Mayank Agarwal and Shubman Gill are yet to play a Test match in England, while Rohit Sharma has featured in just one in 2014.
After taking over as India’s full-time captain from Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid captained the team in 20 Tests and 62 ODIs. In that period, India had series wins in West Indies, Bangladesh, and, most memorably, England. All that good work, however, came undone when India was infamously eliminated from the 2007 ODI World Cup after the group stage.
India last won a Test series in England in 2007, under Rahul Dravid’s captaincy. They have won just a couple of Tests across their last three visits there and will hope to turn things around this time.