Positive approach to batting

Note: This post formed itself in my head as I was travelling to work listening to the match commentary on radio and was written moments after Sachin Tendulkar fell to a Shahid Afridi delivery.

With Pakistan almost certain to square the Test Series by cleaning up the much-vaunted Indian batting line-up on Day 5 of the Bangalore Test, some of my friends and colleagues have questioned the logic of my previous post. How could we have possibly pressed for a win with such a huge total to chase on a rough pitch that was taking sharp spin, they asked.

Well… I don’t have to answer their question. The Indian top-order has answered that question very clearly… though at the cost of facing defeat!

Check out the dismissals and you will see that almost all the wickets fell to defensive shots. With a cracked and turning pitch and an entire day to contend with, defence is never the safe option. It is only time before a ball hits the cracks and rears up, defeating even the most compact of defenses! Also, it is only time before a short pitched ball from a spinner hits a crack and scoots shin-high under the bat and hits pads squarely in front of the stumps.

It’s a high-risk game… playing defence on a spinning track! Moreover, an ultra-defensive batsman will find himself surrounded by fielders staring him down. And this strategy lets the fielding captain dictate the course of the game!

On the other hand, reflect on why Virender Sehwag, Younis Khan or even Rahul Dravid have been successful in this series. It is because they’ve been positive in their approach. Positivity does not mean reckless shots. Even Sehwag hasn’t been reckless in this series. A positive approach is a tendency to look for runs rather than trying to defend one’s wicket. And runs may not always come in the form of boundaries. Sehwag and Gambhir’s partnerships have been studded with quick singles. And we know how Younis Khan and Yousuf Youhana ran the Indian team ragged at Kolkata with their running between the wickets. Dravid’s tons at Kolkata had everyone marvelling at the positive approach he showed by taking every opportunity to score runs. Once a batsman starts looking for runs, it puts the fielding captain on the backfoot. Fielders around the bat disappear one by one and the defensive shots carry a lot less risk even on a mis-behaving pitch.

This is exactly what India needed to do today! If it had showed its intent on scoring runs, there would have been a passage of play when Inzy would’ve been forced to ask his bowlers to bowl a negative line to stem the flow of runs. But, instead, Indian think-tank opted to guard their wickets letting Inzy go all out on the attack. And the result is there for all to see!