Head coach Rahul Dravid feels the Indian batsmen were in good form in the first Test against South Africa at Centurion but would like to convert the start into big scores in Johannesburg. India registered a 113-run win over South Africa to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series, although none of the Indian batsmen crossed the 50-run mark except KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal.
Rahul admitted that conditions are tough to bat in South Africa but he hopes the second and third Tests will give the batsmen a chance to move on and convert good starts into big scores.
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“We would love to score bigger scores than the batting line-up. But you are never really in such situations and it is not often that you are able to convert all the batsmen. We had (KL) Rahul able to convert for us in the first innings, he batted beautifully and really well. They all batted well and were looking really good at the crease.
“Hopefully this Test and the next Test will probably be a chance to move on, play big innings and convert one of them,” Dravid said in the pre-match virtual press conference.
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The head coach also gave his assessment of the victory in the first Test and praised his bowlers for restricting the opposition to below 200 in both innings, even as he wants his batsmen to learn from mistakes and move on.
“We had a really good Test match. The bowling was absolutely fantastic. Getting South Africa out twice below 200 is a very good effort. I thought we batted really well on the first day. 272/ at the end of the day. Being 3 is something that doesn’t happen really often. We did really well there.
“Going forward, we could have got out with 327 runs over 272/3, which is one area we would really like to improve upon. I thought we could have batted better in the second innings as well. A good Test match but there are some areas we can learn, improve and get better because we know we have to in this game.”
Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane got off to a good start in Centurion but failed to convert it into big scores after playing loose shots.
After missing out on doing so in the first match of the series, Dravid backed skipper Kohli and Rahane to convert their starts into big scores.
“It happens because of a variety of factors and it happens to people when they play at different stages of their careers when you play longer. There are phases in your career when you feel that you are batting well but not necessarily big scores. It happens to everyone, just two or three of them are going through that phase at the same time.”
The 48-year-old pointed to a positive after watching him bat in the practice session.
“The good thing and the good news is that they seem to be batting well, getting off to the start and they know how to convert. It’s not that these people don’t know how to score this century or haven’t done it before. it’s just a matter of time. They are preparing, practicing well and in a really good place. As a coach, watching him, training him and the space he is in, I think there could be some runs around the corner.”
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