WTC Final: I Don’t Understand, India Should Have At Least Had Inter-squad Matches – Ramiz Raja Criticises India’s Efforts To Prepare For The Ultimate Test

Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ramiz Raja slammed Indian team management over their preparation for coming into the Ultimate World Test Championship final against the mighty Australian team. On Day 1, Indian players looked overcooked towards the end as they could not execute their plan in the second and third sessions of the game.

Indian Players had week-long practice following the completion of the cash-rich league as they haven’t played any practice game leading into the final, Meanwhile, most of the Australian players opted to rest during the IPL, with few taking part in the county championship to get themselves prepared for the WTC final.

Speaking on his youtube channel, Ramiz Raja lambasted the Indian team’s preparation coming for the one-off test against Australia, stating that Sub-continental players usually need some time to adapt to the tough England conditions and reckons that the Indian team should have played some inter-squad match among themselves to acclimatize to the England conditions.

“One-off Tests are difficult to assess what you have to do. A team comes from sub-continent conditions to these cold climates and has to adjust in 5-6 days. That too, without even playing a game.

“I don’t understand. This is the WTC Final, India should have at least had inter-squad matches before this. Even if you had played 3-4 one-day matches, you get acclimatized to the conditions,”  Ramiz Raja said

Shardul Thakur and Umesh Yadav were rusty during Day 1, as they could not find the rhythm in the 1st innings, as they failed to create pressure on Steve Smith and Travis Head giving away some easy runs for the Australian batters.

It’s Overcast, The Pitch Conditions Are Quite Different – Ramiz Raja

Ramiz Raja feels that the Indian team needed to adapt to the overcast conditions in England, having played hot conditions in India over the last two months, and reckons that the bowlers need rest and also want to adjust their lines and length for the longer format of the game, having played the highly-competitive IPL.

“It’s overcast, the pitch conditions are quite different. You want to have an adjustment. Bowlers also need to adjust their lines and lengths here. After four overs in IPL, you have to bowl 17 here in a day. The body needs rest,” Ramiz Raja added further.

Indian bowlers failed to capitalize on the overcast conditions during the first two hours of Day 1, as they managed to pick only Usman Khawaja and David Warner before lunch, as most importantly failed to create opportunities as they were barely some chances given by the Australian batter on the Day 1 of the WTC Final.