Former Indian cricketer Sandeep Patil has said that the decision to play on a particular type of pitch at home is made by the captain and coach only after taking into account the team’s strengths. India, having lost the first two Tests and eventually the series, India prepared a rank turner for the final Test in Mumbai but fell in their own trap, losing by 25 runs.
However, Sandeep Patil, former India cricketer and erstwhile chairman of the national selection committee, believes that the team should forget about the past and approach the Tests against Australia with a positive frame of mind.
India’s dismal performance vs NZ makes BGT a high stake tour for India
The former Indian cricketer expressed confidence that the Indian team is way too good to be bogged down by setbacks and believed they will make a strong comeback Down Under.
Sandeep Patil Opens up on India’s failure on Rank Turner vs NZ
Former Indian chief selector Sandeep Patil has opened up on the side preferring turning pitches at home. He said that it would’ve been a decision head coach Gautam Gambhir and skipper Rohit Sharma took after assessing the strengths of the team.
Team India opted for turners in the second and third Test of the recent home series against New Zealand series. They had lost the opening encounter on a seam-friendly wicket in Bengaluru. However, the move backfired as the hosts lost both outings to surrender the series 0-3. The Indian batters struggled to cope with the Kiwi spin duo of Mitchell Santner and Ajaz Patel. They failed to score even 300 in all four innings of the second and third Tests.
Speaking to the media during the launch of his book, Sandeep Patil was asked if playing on turners was the way forward at home and he responded:
“It all depends on what the team and the coach want. It is dependent on the strength of the team. Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma are the right people to talk about it — they know their strength.
“No one feels good when our team loses but defeats teach a lot of things. I hope that they would have learned a lot of things from this defeat, a lot of discussion would have taken place in regards to what should be done in future and how.”
Sandeep Patil, however, expected India to bounce back from the embarrassing home series defeat.
“After every defeat, you have always seen the Indian team bouncing back. Not because I am an Indian and we all are Indians, but they will bounce back because they are a very good side,” he said.
The New Zealand series loss was India’s first at home in Tests since 2012/13. It was also the first time they had been whitewashed in a home Test series since 2000.
Sandeep Patil shares his opinion on 2024/25 BGT
Sandeep Patil called on Team India to go in with a positive mindset for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. He urged them to forget their past success there and the recent New Zealand debacle.
India has defeated Australia in the last four Test series, including two down under in 2018/19 and 2020/21.
“They have to play against Australia in Australia, they will have to forget what happened there last time. They will also have to forget what happened in this series (against New Zealand) and look forward. You have to think positive and play positively only then you will get a positive result. If you play defensive cricket and think of winning, it is not going to happen,” said Patil.
He added:
“This (series loss) was like a wake-up call. It’s not like our team has been playing badly. A few months back they won the T20 World Cup. There are some big players in our team, surely they will bounce back. They must have learnt so many things from this loss.”
The 2024/25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy will be played over five Tests, starting in Perth on November 22.