After team India’s strong recovery in the second Test match after the disastrous first Test match, there was a talk that started going around in the cricketing circles. It was about India’s problem in the lower middle order and how it has plagued the team’s line-up on this tour and has at a level, caused some problems for the team and would have for sure caused some concerns for the team management.
This thing went really mainstream when Cheteshwar Pujara, the prime batsman of the Indian team’s line up came out to state the problem in public. Pujara who has been holding the Indian batting in Test cricket for quite some time now, in one of the rarest occasions on Saturday came out in public to speak up about a problem that has been evidently affecting the Indian team.
Pujara wants the lower middle-order batsmen to do well
He admitted that playing overseas is not an easy job and certain aspects of the Indian lower batting order need to be looked into.
“You have to bat well as a lower-middle order. Yes, you tend to lose wickets at times. Even when teams come to India, when they are not experienced, they tend to lose wickets at times. Yes, it is something that we will have to address. I’m sure there will be a chat about that. Our major concern is we are losing wickets after we are six down,” Pujara was quoted saying by Cricbuzz.
“The lower middle order has to bat well, and the guys have been putting in effort. If you look at the way Bumrah has been batting, he has been improving. The bowlers are also trying. Sometimes, it’s not easy. You just have to accept it when it’s not your day. The bowlers are also bowling well. When the margin for error is low for the batters, you have to give credit to the bowlers,” he added.
Pujara also very aptly pointed to the issues in the batting unit and given the management that is there with the Indian team, along with the person who is leading the side at the moment, Ajinkya Rahane must be on the drawing table and will be trying to work something out, as soon as possible. These are prospects of great concern, and it may come to bite back at the team in the long run if the top order players go out of form and cannot provide the solid starts that have been helping India do well.