Published 14:30 IST, November 2nd 2019
India vs Bangladesh: India aim to get better at batting first in T20Is
India vs Bangladesh T20I: Indian batting coach Vikram Rathour said that the area where the team needs to improve is to bat well while batting first in T20Is.
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India batting coach Vikram Rathour said on Friday that the area where the team currently needs to work upon ahead of the T20 World Cup in 2020 is to win games by batting first in T20Is. His comments come just days before India's first T20I against Bangladesh, which is on Sunday at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
India need to improve while setting up a target: Vikram Rathour
Rathour said in the pre-match conference ahead of the three-match T20I series against Bangladesh that the Indian team bats well when they are chasing, but when it comes to setting up a target, they need to improve.
He added that his priority was to get the core of players right without too much tinkering much ahead of the 2020 T20 World Cup in Australia. The Indian batting coach opined that experiments can happen but he does not believe too much in frequent chopping and changing. He also highlighted the importance of having a core team going into big tournaments like these and said that they will try new players who were coming through. If they worked out good, it will benefit the team.
Rathour cited the example of the first T20I of the recently concluded series against South Africa which they lost after having set a target in Bengaluru. However, he expressed satisfaction with the kind of bench strength that is available in Indian cricket.
There have been a lot of talks surrounding the poor weather conditions in the national capital. The quality of air has been reducing since Diwali and on Friday it reached the severe '+' category. Several Bangladeshi players were spotted donning masks while practising on Thursday and Friday.
However, Rathour said that the Indian team was used to playing in such conditions and therefore, it won't be a problem when they take the field on Sunday. He said that he had played in the northern region throughout his career. Although there were problems related to pollution, teams had to come out and play.
India will take on Bangladesh in the three-match T20I series followed by a two-match Test series. The hosts will be without the services of the regular skipper Virat Kohli as he has been rested by the selectors for the T20I series. Rohit Sharma will lead the team in the shorter format.
11:59 IST, November 2nd 2019