Reports: Indian players unhappy with continual changes

Indian players unhappy: Reportedly, Indian players are dejected with the continual changes being made to the team.

In which has come as a different perspective to the ongoing Pataudi Trophy between England and India, it is believed that the current members of the Indian team are at contrast with the management’s decision of continuously making changes to the team, thereby not letting a settled eleven (or combination) take the field.

Apparently, there is no hiding to the fact that the Virat Kohli-led regime is making too many changes to the playing eleven. As a result, the last Test match at Southampton was the first instance ever of Kohli fielding an unchanged eleven in a Test match.

Right from the top-order to the bowlers to the wicket-keeper, India have made frequent changes in this series. Having dropped a vital Test batsman in Ajinkya Rahane in the first Test of the tour of South Africa in the starting of the year to dropping Cheteshwar Pujara in the first Test of this series, India have taken a few stupefying decisions in the recent times.

During an interview with Indian Express, a member of the Indian team who toured England was quoted, “It would have been better if they had said at the start of the tour, ‘Guys, we will go with the same team for the first three Tests. Do your best.’ That gives a different kind of confidence. Kohli is a good man and wants the best for the team and doesn’t mean to create it but the changes make you doubt yourself. It’s our mistake to feel like that probably but we are humans.”

“You start to second guess. Kyun aise kar rahe hain? You then start feeling you are on your own here”, said another player. The second player was also critical about India’s bowling, especially their inability to dismiss England’s lower middle-order in this series.

“Before the start of the series, it was clear to me that England’s lower-middle order is its strength. You might get their top out but they will fight later. In nearly every game, we let the lower-middle order to score. I got the feeling that when we took the first four wickets cheaply, there was a feeling as if the job was over. We had crushed them. Bit more discipline and proper planning and focus would have been better”, he added.

About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who works as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. Having written more than 10,000 articles across more than five years at TSR, his first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.

Read More