If You invest In Sai Sudharsan, Give Him The Opportunity To Showcase His Talent : Saba Karim

India : Guwahati will be the cynosure of all eyes tomorrow as India aim to draw the second Test against South Africa to avoid a series defeat. Speaking on ‘Game Plan’, JioStar experts Saba Karim and Anil Kumble explained what the hosts can learn from their defeat at Eden Gardens while analysing India’s batting combination and approach going into the next match.

Speaking on ‘Game Plan’, JioStar expert Saba Karim spoke about India’s batting combination, especially the selection of Sai Sudharsan ahead of the second Test match: “India should get back to the combination of two seamers and three spinners. I think that would suffice on a track in Guwahati. You need to bulk up your batting order because young Indian batters, especially in home conditions, have not done very well. I think it is very important that if you are invested in a young player like Sai Sudharsan, you give him ample opportunity to showcase his talent. Once you have that kind of trust in a player, it offers him more liberty to play with greater freedom. That’s what you expect from him. I hope that Sai Sudharsan will come back into the playing XI.”

Speaking on ‘Game Plan’, JioStar expert Anil Kumble explained the approach India should take in Guwahati: “This team has done it before, and it’s not that they lack the ability. It’s just that the conditions at Eden Gardens were very challenging, and that forced the batters to think differently, which contributed to their downfall. You need to think in terms of sessions. You can’t be thinking, this is really tough, I’ll just go out, play a few big shots, get a quick 20, and feel I’ve done well. Yes, one or two batters might have to do that, but not everyone. And as a spinner or any bowler, you also need to be patient. If you’re not patient, you’ll concede runs and the same goes for the batters. It’s more about adjusting your mind-set rather than focusing only on the conditions in front of you."

Saba Karim advises and speaks on Yashasvi Jaiswal’s mindset in the next match: “The approach is fine, but as you grow as a batter, you also need to be more judicious with your shot selection. I understand that you are a swashbuckling opener and want to maintain an attacking mind-set, but you still need to pick the right ball and the right surface to play those shots. I didn’t see that in Yashasvi Jaiswal’s effort in this Test match (at Eden Gardens). In the second innings, although he got a special delivery from Marco Jansen, what happened in the first innings showed that he was losing patience. He wanted to get off the mark or play big shots very early in his innings because, in his mind, his template is to start quickly and then build later. At times, you need to change your scoring pattern to make big runs and build partnerships. I think that’s one area where Yashasvi Jaiswal needs to improve."

On Jasprit Bumrah’s performance at Eden Gardens: “I think he believes only in the things he can control, and the wicket, for that matter, becomes irrelevant for him because he has those special skills that come into effect whenever the team needs them, not only in the first innings, but also in the second. To break a partnership, you look to Jasprit Bumrah. In all conditions, he’s your go-to bowler. And I thought that in this Test match at least, except for the final day, where he was brought in late, he was utilised quite well. In the first innings, that extended spell worked so well for him. It also shows and augurs well for India that he is so fit at the moment and hungry to pick up more wickets.”