Sunil Gavaskar thinks India should have played a practice game before the first Test

Indian batters flattered on the seaming tracks of Cape Town’s Newlands Cricket Ground when Vernon Philander ran through the batting order on the 4th day of the match. India had earlier opted not to play the scheduled practice game before the first Test. After the match and the defeat, former India legend and TV commentator Sunil Gavaskar said that they should’ve played the practice match in order to get used to the conditions and the tracks.

Earlier, after the washout on the third day, Indian bowlers bowled brilliantly as they ran through the African batting unit. Only AB de Villiers stood tall for his 35 but he saw all his partners going back to pavilion one by one as Indian quicks used the conditions to great effect. South Africa bundled for 130, setting India a target of 208.

Their openers could not cope with the swing and early movement of the new ball as they failed to give India a good start in the run chase. Virat Kohli along with Rohit Sharma looked set but the Indian skipper was done by an inswinging Philander delivery when he wrapped the Indian skipper in front of the stumps.

Indian batsmen didn’t use back foot well on bouncy conditions

In his column for TOI, Gavaskar wrote that Indian batsmen were finding it difficult to deal with the deliveries that bounced. He pointed out that Pujara’s wicket came on the ball which bounced extra. According to the legend, to get used to such deliveries, India should’ve opted to play the practice game.

“No amount of practice against your quick bowlers, even if they are bowling from 18 yards, will give the same feeling as playing local bowlers who are more than 6 feet tall,” he wrote.

Although Gavaskar showered heaps of praises on Indian bowlers along with all-rounder Hardik Pandya. “Shami was back to his best, bowling with speed and hostility, and with both Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowling tight line and lengths, there was no escape for the Proteas batsmen,” he added.

Gavaskar also said that Pandya is improving game after game. “Hardik Pandya is getting better every game and, most importantly, is recognizing situations and playing accordingly,” the article read.