London: Vice-captain and middle-order batsman Ajinkya Rahane admitted Friday after India’s first innings debacle that they committed mistakes under challenging conditions. And the man who hit India hard with five wickets, James Anderson said that England would have bowled out any side under similar situations.
“I don’t think you can get any more challenging conditions than this (in Test cricket) especially with Duke ball in these weather conditions. But as a batsman you have to back your ability. It is all about intent out there, of not only scoring runs but also leaving the ball and defending well,” Rahane told reporters at the end of the day’s play.
“You have to accept your mistake and we lacked intent. The quicker we learn from our errors, the better for us. I am sure everyone will learn from this innings and there is a long way to go in this match as well as the series,” Rahane added.
I was thinking why he (Kohli) didn’t edge balls as others were doing. Probably that makes him the best in the world. I love the challenge involved when I bowl to him
James Anderson
Rahane heaped lavish praise on Anderson. “He did not bowl a short ball. He was just bowling at same spot, the no man’s area for a batsman,” pointed out Rahane. “It is all about patience on these conditions and trusting your methods and backing your ability. But it did not work for us, added Virat Kohli’s deputy.
Asked if the Indian line-up is too dependent on Kohli, Rahane said, “I don’t think there is anything wrong. Just because you don’t get any runs or any start, that does not mean your methods are wrong. It is a five-match series and it is a long way to go.”
Meanwhile Anderson, who took his 27th Test five-wicket haul, stated that the bowlers exploited the conditions in a fantastic manner.
“I think that if we bowled like that today (Friday), with those conditions, we’d bowl out most teams in the world out because I think we were that good. We hardly bowled any bad balls and when you build pressure like that all day, no matter who you are, it is difficult. I don’t think it’s just the Indian batsmen that would have struggled,” pointed out Anderson.
“These were the ideal conditions to bowl swing. I find it so much fun when it is like that. You don’t often get conditions like that in England anymore, when the ball does that much through the air and off the pitch. The biggest thing is not trying too many variations but bowl good balls. Ultimately the batsmen will make mistakes,” the veteran England pacer added.