New Delhi, Aug 1 (IANS) Former India wicketkeeper-batter Deep Dasgupta has expressed strong concerns over the side’s batting on turning pitches in the upcoming two-game Test series against Sri Lanka, adding that navigating spin-friendly conditions will be the ‘biggest challenge’ for the side rather than its bowling department.

India’s batters have struggled heavily against spinners in their defeats to New Zealand and South Africa at home. Facing the Sri Lankan spinners on turning pitches in Galle and Colombo will further test their batting skills from August 15-29 as they aim to rise in the World Test Championship (WTC) table.

“If there are bowling-friendly pitches, then automatically there are good bowlers. Saransh has also come, who is a good off-spinner and a person who has been playing first-class cricket for a long time. He can also bat well. In fact, in a Test match, he may not need it that much, and hopefully not.

“But you have those options in the absence of Washington. Saransh has also got the option of off-spin. You have left-arm spinners and Kuldeep too. I am not as much concerned about bowling as I am about batting. If we talk about batting, if we look at the South Africa and New Zealand series.

“We have seen a new batting order in South Africa. If we look at it from there, I will not say it is fear, but it is a concern. How will they be able to play in those conditions? Because there will be spinning conditions. There will be turning conditions because their strength is spin bowling. In those conditions, how does India play? How do Indian batters handle it? That is going to be the biggest challenge, according to me,” said Dasgupta on his YouTube channel on Saturday.

Highlighting the difficult away assignments this year as per the current WTC cycle, Dasgupta warned against taking any opposition lightly. “Well, firstly, there is no easy Test series, and especially right now, looking at the Indian Test side, which is going through a transition, the thing is that there is not one easy Test match no matter what happens.

“Especially in Sri Lanka, again, Sri Lanka, I mean, it has been very, very difficult in the past and especially in these conditions right now. So, I think it’s going to be interesting when looking at the WTC. I think there are nine test matches left. Five with Australia, two with Sri Lanka, and two with New Zealand, and if I’m not wrong, roughly speaking, I think seven out of nine will have to be won to qualify for the WTC finals. So, that in itself is a difficult task.

“On top of that, you add Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka, New Zealand in New Zealand. These are difficult assignments. On top of that, as it has been, if we look at it, if we count series after series, if we don’t count Afghanistan’s one-off test, then in the last three series at home, we have lost two to New Zealand and South Africa. So, that is one thing, obviously, that’s why you can’t take any series, and opposition at this time and in any condition, lightly at all,” he elaborated.

Addressing the mounting pressure on skipper Shubman Gill and the team management led by head coach Gautam Gambhir, Dasgupta stressed the need to see tangible progress and a clear direction during this transition phase for the red-ball side.

“One thing is fair: questions will be asked of him (Gambhir). When the team does not play properly, they will be asked questions individually. Obviously, the team’s coach, team’s captain, everyone who is involved with the team will be asked questions because, if you look at it, we lost at home — after 2011–12, we lost the series in New Zealand, and we lost continuously.

“As we are saying, two out of three series lost. So, there will be pressure. It is also important to say that all the names we are taking, everyone knows how to play under pressure, and they also know how to take pressure and handle it as well. But there will be pressure on Shubman, the Indian players, and it is very, very important.

“Because they are saying transition, it is very important to see a direction in the transition period. The transition started, let’s say, after the New Zealand Test series, then came the England series and all of that; it started from there onwards. Somewhere, I feel that it is important to see a direction, and I am a little confused as to which direction we are going,” he concluded.

–IANS

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