Former India coach John Wright said the Test No.1 side should sort their top and middle-order woes as early as possible to level the series when they take on hosts in the final Test starting Feb 29.
In absence of Rohit Sharma, India had Mayank Agarwal and Prithvi Shaw, two new openers, in the first Test. Shaw could manage just 30 runs in total in the 2 innings, while Agarwal was also not as impressive as he was during the home season.
“India looked out of sorts. It had two new openers and the middle-order found the going tough. It has to find answers quickly,” John Wright told Sportstar.
“The good thing for the Indians is that their A’ team played in Christchurch recently and Kohli’s side would not be short on inputs about the conditions.”
John Wright, who led India to a historic Test and ODI triumph in Pakistan in 2004 during his coaching stint, also reflected upon the form of Jasprit Bumrah since his return to the national side from an injury. Bumrah picked up a solitary wicket in the recently concluded Test while wicket-less in the 3-match ODI series against New Zealand.
“He’s coming back after an injury. He’s finding his feet and rhythm again. It can happen to most players. After the highs, there is a plateau,” Wright, whom Bumrah attributes for shaping his international career, said.
“Teams must have seen endless videos of him. Once you become the lynchpin of an attack, the opposition teams really put you under the scanner and look for methods to cope with you best.”
“Sometimes, they just play you off, not give wickets to you. Bumrah is an intelligent person, and I am sure he will find a way out. He has to fight his way through such periods.”
