The members of the Indian team, full of verve, were engaged in a game of football at a corner of the arena here on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Anil Kumble was eyeing something that hid beneath it, the mysteries of the upcoming second Test. The Indian coach was having a hard look at the pitch.
The surface for the drawn first Test in Rajkot would not have pleased the Indians. There was not enough purchase for the spinners; the pitch did not deteriorate much and the turn was largely slow.
The track for the second Test, beginning at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Stadium here on Thursday, is likely to be far more conducive to R. Ashwin & Co. It could be a drier surface, where the ball might grip for the spinners.
The Indian camp, already buoyed by the return of fit-again opener K.L. Rahul to the squad, is keen to recover from a probing final day in Rajkot when England managed to exert considerable pressure on the host.
Asked about the gains and losses from the first Test, Kumble said, “I think it was a draw. It was a good wicket to bat on. There were six centuries in the game.”
He wanted to look ahead and not ponder over the last day of the first Test when India lost its sixth wicket in the 43rd over, and skipper Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja had to bat out the final 10 overs to salvage a draw.
“I don’t want to read too much into our batting on day five in Rajkot. Had Cheteshwar Pujara taken the DRS, India could have been 170 for one when the game ended,” said Kumble.
The Indian coach was referring to Pujara not opting for the DRS after being ruled leg-before to leg-spinner Adil Rashid when the replays showed the ball had clearly pitched outside the leg-stump.
“I guess when there were only 40-50 overs remaining on the final day and the DRS was available, it should have been taken,” said Kumble.
Early days
Perhaps, the Indian coach is not entirely pleased with the manner in which his team went about utilising the DRS — it requires tactical acumen — in the series opener. But then, these are early days yet for the Indians with this system.
Despite the success of the England spinners in the opening Test, Kumble believed the Indian batsmen did well to last 160-odd overs in the first innings.
The Indian coach, however, wanted the Indians to sharpen their close catching. It is indeed those captivating close-in catches that lift a spin combination. “This Indian team prides itself on its fielding and catching. We let ourselves down in the first Test and need to get better.”
Unperturbed
Despite the possibility of England’s influential swing bowler James Anderson playing in the second Test, Kumble seemed unperturbed. “He has got over 450 Test wickets and has played here before. We will have Rahul for the Test. It will be good if both sides played their full teams.”
Even as the focus was on spin, Kumble, rather shrewdly, dwelt on the pace attack. “I though Shami and Umesh bowled exceptionally well. They got the ball to reverse and troubled all the batsmen.”
Mind games are on. Come Thursday, the Indians will be eager to get back to their dominant best at home.
