Playing “reverse sweeps are as safe as a defensive shot” in Indian conditions, said the Player of the Match and one with a knock for ages in the first Test against India – Ollie Pope. Playing unconventionally is a key feature in England’s Bazball. They surprise the bowlers by charging down the track, sweeping, reverse sweeping, scooping and reverse-scooping in a Test match to put the opposition off their plans. As we head towards the second Test of this series, the Indian batters seem to have taken a leaf out of their opposition’s textbook.
The Indian batters trained in the opening practice session ahead of the second Test match against the Three Lions at Visakhapatnam and were unconventional in their drills. They played sweeps and reverse sweeps to add more weapons to their armoury ahead of the upcoming crucial game.
Patidar vs Sarfaraz in nets
In what is a fascinating battle for one slot, Rajat Patidar and Sarfaraz Khan are looking to leave no stone unturned to present the best possible case for a debut. KL Rahul‘s absence has opened the doors and one of them will surely get a nod. Both of them trained hard at the nets. Sarfaraz was also seen spending a long time with Indian captain Rohit Sharma, chatting with him.
Gill, who is under scrutiny for his poor run at number three, also practiced sweeps and reverse sweeps and so did Patidar.
“It is not something you can try. You need to practice it. If you have more shots it is beneficial. We play in a traditional way.
Our strength is going straight and using our feet. We need to do that well and if we can play some shots, that is always a good addition,” Indian batting coach Vikram Rathour said.