Birmingham: Former captain Sourav Ganguly has urged Indian batsmen Murali Vijay and Ajinkya Rahane to bat with more determination and advised skipper Virat Kohli to not chop and change the playing XI after defeat in the first Test against England.
Ganguly, in his instagram post, wrote, “If you’ve to win a Test then everyone has to score runs. This was the first Test in a 5-match series and I think this team has the capability to come back and play well. Rahane and Vijay will have to show some determination since they have scored runs in these conditions before.”
The former India captain also warned against making wholesale changes in the wake of the defeat. “One criticism for Kohli is that he should give a consistent run to his batters and more time before dropping them. The failure against swing in English conditions can’t be used as an excuse any more as everyone knows that it’s what you get when you come to England.
I don’t think the captain is responsible for the loss. If you’re the captain then you’ll be criticised for a loss the same way as you’re congratulated for a win
Sourav Ganguly
“It’s a very well known fact that the ball will swing in England the same way as Australia is known for its pacy wickets. So if previously you’ve scored runs there is no reason you can’t now,” he further wrote.
“It is true that after continuous chopping & changing of the playing XI, players can get afraid that after all these years they’ve failed to garner the faith of the team management,” he added.