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Legendary Indian cricket team batter Sunil Gavaskar has urged the national side to play first-class matches or tour games in preparation for the Test series against Australia in December 2024. Gavaskar pointed at the loss in the first Test match against South Africa in Centurion and stated that it is part of India’s ‘pattern’ lately to lose the first game of a series and play catch up. The legendary cricketer added that even though the tour matches feature second rate sides, the preparation will be quite beneficial.
“The defeat in Centurion is pretty much a pattern for Indian teams touring the SENA countries, where they lose the first Test of the series and then play catch-up for the remainder of the series. The next big series overseas is exactly a year away in Australia, and if India needs to keep the winning momentum of the previous two tours there, then the planning must start now. The FTP suggests that India is playing two Tests against Bangladesh and three Tests against New Zealand at home from the end of September to early November,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Sportstar.
“The first Test of a five-match series in Australia will likely start in early December, so it does give the Indians time to play a couple, if not more, first-class games before the series. Rohit said after the loss in Centurion that these games are no good because the host countries put up second-rate teams, and they get to play on slow pitches. Even if that is true, isn’t it better to get into a rhythm against such opposition than stay at home? Not only the batters can get some runs under their belts, but the bowlers can also go flat out and test themselves,” he added.
India beat South Africa by seven wickets despite a stunning century by Aiden Markram on the second day of the second Test at Newlands on Thursday and level the series.
Set to make 79 to win, India needed just 12 overs to secure the victory.
South Africa won the first Test in Centurion by an innings and 32 runs.
Chasing a small target on a difficult pitch, Indian opening batsman Yashasvi Jaiswal went on the attack from the first ball, making 28 off 23 deliveries before being caught on the boundary off Nandre Burger.
Shubman Gill (10) and Virat Kohli (12) fell to Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen before Shreyas Iyer hit the winning boundary with his only scoring stroke.
Captain Rohit Sharma was unbeaten on 16.
Markram hit 106 off 103 balls before South Africa were bowled out for 176 shortly before lunch.
Jasprit Bumrah took six for 61 –- and was denied the wicket of Markram when the batsman, on 71, edged a drive and wicketkeeper KL Rahul could not hold a catch above his head.
(With AFP inputs)
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