India trail England 1-0 in the five-match Test series, losing the opener by 28 runs in Hyderabad. The second match begins on Friday in Visakhapatnam.
India’s Axar Patel during a practice session ahead of the second Test match against England in Visakhapatnam. PTI
Ahead of the second Test in Visakhapatnam, India batters worked on getting their sweeping skills right in the net session on Wednesday. The batters made a conscious effort to play the shots in the nets.
Except Rohit Sharma, not many Indian batters resorted to the safer sweep shot in the opening Test in Hyderabad which the hosts lost by 28 runs.
While India shied away from sweeps, England batters used it to perfection against the spin bowling attack.
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In the opening practice session, all Indian squad members turned up in the afternoon. Struggling for runs, Shubman Gill practiced both the conventional and reverse sweep. For someone who has all the shots, he was criticised for his defensive play in the opener.
In line to make his debut in the second Test on Friday, Rajat Patidar, too, went for the sweep and reverse sweep. All the batters did not go that route but it was definitely more than what was visible in Hyderabad.
Sarfaraz Khan, another player who could make his India debut, also had a hit in the nets. Both him and Patidar were also involved in catching practice in the slips.
Even as the Indian batters practiced the sweep, batting coach Vikram Rathour said that they should play to their strengths. “It is not something you can try. You need to practice it. If you have more shots it is beneficial. We play in a traditional way. Our strength is going straight and using our feet. We need to do that well and and if we can play some shots, that is always a good addition,” he said.
On the opposite side, Jack Leach, who is nursing an injury on his left knee, did not train and looks doubtful, bringing uncapped Shoaib Bashir into the equation.
