NEW DELHI: Australian great Ian Chappell on Sunday reckoned Indian batsmen need to strike a balance between caution and aggression, his views coming in the wake of their struggles in the Test series in New Zealand’s testing conditions.
Chappell’s opinion was in contrast to the view shared by Virat Kohli after the drubbing in the first Test. The India captain had said, in part, “I don’t think being cautious or wary will help because you might stop playing your shots.”
Known for his sharp cricketing mind, Chappell’s line of thinking is a bit different from that of Kohli.
“New Zealand, much like England’s seaming surfaces, is a place where caution is required more often than in Australia, where most pitches are extremely true,” Chappell wrote in ESPNcricinfo.
“Whatever the cause, at the Basin Reserve it was an abysmal batting effort from the No. 1-ranked Test team, who failed to reach 200 in either innings,” he added.
“Placing a batting order is not playing a game of “pin the tail on the donkey”. It’s important to get the balance right and to place players in positions where they are comfortable and hence more likely to succeed.”
While he defended the obdurate Cheteshwar Pujara, who had the lowest strike rate in Wellington, Chappell said he should be careful about not going into a shell.
“It’s hard to be critical of a No. 3 who was heavily involved in India beating Australia in 2018-19 with some lengthy stays at the crease anchoring the innings. (AGENCIES)
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