India vs New Zealand: Indian batsmen must buck 'cautious' approach and execute individual strengths to salvage Test series

Virat Kohli’s dismissal in the second innings summed up the confusion in the mindset of Indian batsmen.  The Indian captain’s first instinct was to duck under the short ball, but realising the slowness of the delivery, Kohli changed his mind halfway, from a defensive to an attacking one.  The result was a half-hearted pull shot that led to the ball kissing the glove and being pouched by the keeper. Indecisiveness is something that is rare in Kohli’s batting. He believes in clarity and intent. Before the match, he was asked how India will combat New Zealand’s game plan of trying to suffocate the opposition by the virtue of patience.  The reply was blunt. “If the opposition plays the waiting game, we are going to play the waiting game,” said Kohli. After the crushing loss on Sunday, Kohli stated, “we will definitely be much more positive. There’s no doubt about it, especially in the first innings. We will try and put their bowlers under pressure and try and make them do something different rather than them making us do something different."  Kohli’s answers summed up the confused state of mind of the Indian batsmen. [caption id=“attachment_8080561” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] India’s captain Virat Kohli walks off the field after his team was defeated by New Zealand by ten wickets in the first Test between India and New Zealand at the Basin Reserve in Wellington, New Zealand. AP[/caption] There is no doubt that the New Zealand bowlers bowled exceptionally well and Kohli was the first person to acknowledge that fact. Ajinkya Rahane and Mayank Agarwal were two batsmen who got the balance of attack and defence right through the match.  Rahane tried to disrupt Colin de Grandhomme’s length by taking a couple of steps down the pitch off the 13th ball he faced.  However, that would be the only time any innovation was tried.  Even during the second innings, while batting with Kohli, Rahane had tried riding the bounce before unleashing a rigorous pull shot. Standing at the other end, Kohli gave him the thumbs up. Rahane’s decision to take on the short ball looked like a spontaneous decision. It was almost like he felt that it was the best way to negate the short ball.  It was the intent and clarity Kohli wants his team to play with. “I feel as a batsman you should not wait for a message from outside to execute something in the middle. I think it’s about understanding what you want to do as a batsman, and if that doesn’t come off then you say fine, I did not do it in this innings,” Kohli told reporters after the loss. Cheteshwar Pujara was someone who failed to break the shackles and perhaps didn’t do enough to disturb the New Zealand bowlers’ plans.  The Indian No 3 scored 11 off 81 balls in the second innings and went 31 balls without scoring a run.  Even Rishabh Pant was conservative in the first innings scoring 11 of 48 balls at one stage. The big challenge for India is how to get the balance right? One approach Kohli certainly doesn’t want from his team is to be cautious. “I don’t think that being cautious or wary will help because you might stop playing your shots. You will start doubting yourself, and if even singles are not coming in those conditions, what will you do? You are just waiting for when that good ball will come and you will be dismissed,” said the Indian captain. India batsmen need to quickly overcome the mental barriers that lie within themselves.  Kohli might have stated repeatedly that the current team is least concerned with the outside noise.  However, it is the inner voice that seemed to have an element of disharmony. After all, this was India’s first defeat in 10 Tests.  This is a team which has won matches abroad and has a potent bowling unit. The toss will play a vital role again in the next match, but for India to succeed, they have to ensure their minds are clear.  At the same time, it is vital that players stick to their own strengths.  It will be catastrophic if Pujara is asked to be expansive or if Prithvi Shaw is asked to control his aggression.  Everything needs to be in sync and there is no doubt Ravi Shastri will be the best man to create that right balance in the mind. “There is no doubt we will try and win the next Test. We are not going to play in any other fashion. Whatever it requires us to do as a batting unit, a bowling unit and a fielding unit, we are definitely going to come out and do that. We are not bothered about another loss but we are not going to take a backward step, that’s for sure," Kohli signed off.