ENG vs IND: Kotak says Lord’s wicket will be challenging but expects his batters to extend purple patch

India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak is expecting the pitch for the Lord’s Test to be much more challenging for the batters than the flat tracks of first two games but as long his batters don’t play “undue shots”, it should not be a problem.

The wicket, two days before the game, had plenty of grass, some of it would be shaved on the eve of the match.

Jasprit Bumrah will be back for India and Jofra Archer is expected to play his first Test in more than four years.

Indian batters, led by Shubman Gill, have been in top form with hundreds coming from the bat of captain himself, KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant.

“The wicket is bit greener than what we saw in the last two games. However, we can only talk after they do the last cutting before match,” Kotak said on Tuesday.

“And generally, at Lord’s., the scores of the first and second innings are comparatively low. So, we can expect that it will be helpful for bowlers.

“For batters, spending time on the wickets is the best friend you can have. The more time you spend on the wicket, the more you will adjust to it.”

Asked for his thoughts on Archer’s return, he said: “Jofra coming in will be a challenge. There might be a couple of bowling changes in the England team.”

“It seems wicket will also be a little more challenging. And, after last two games, if, as a host, England think that they want to give a little bit more challenging wicket, it is fair enough. You bat well; it is fine. If you don’t, any wicket will be a challenge,” said the Saurashtra veteran.

Praising the Indian batters, Kotak highlighted that apart from X-factor players like Rishabh Pant, they have batted responsibly yet managed to score four runs per over.

“Our players are so skillful that even if they don’t search for the runs, they are able to score at an average of four runs.

“If we are able to make 360 runs in 90 overs, that is aggressive batting only. However, the mindset is that we will not look for boundaries.”

“Their (Indian batters) skill is so good that even if they are playing on merit, they are able to make runs. When you don’t play undue shots, you are going to stay on the wicket for a longer time.”

What does he mean by undue shots? “Undue shots mean if a batter thinks that there is a lot of movement in the wicket and if I get an opportunity, I want to score runs because there is one good ball coming, I may get out. That is, I think, a bad mindset for a red ball cricket.

“The skill the players possess because of the white ball cricket and T20s, when they get ball in their slots, they are converting into boundaries and sixes. They don’t have to really think that I want to hit a boundary. That’s what I think,” said Kotak.

However, for players like Pant, these rules don’t apply.

“Every team will have some aggressive players who are very good at breaking opposition’s momentum. So, someone like Jaiswal, who plays the way he plays; someone like Rishabh.

“But that does not mean that he doesn’t think. He does think, he does take decisions and when it goes wrong, it looks bad.

“Rishabh actually talks a lot about what he does with bat, when he does, why he does with me. He is someone who doesn’t like talking too much during his inning because he feels that that changes his mindset, and he takes the wrong decision,” said Kotak.

Lord’s presents a unique challenge for the batters as well as the bowlers due to the slope. Kotak feels it is something the players should not worry about too much.

“It depends on the mindset. I have seen some players saying that they don’t understand the slope.

“And some players feel that there are natural variations. Obviously, because of the slope, there will be some variations,” he said.

Gill has made a few technical changes to his red ball batting but the change in his mindset has helped more in the middle. He has aggregated a staggering 585 runs in four innings.

“I don’t think anything has changed because he is a captain. His mindset has shifted a bit and there are definitely technical changes — which I saw in Australia, series in India, and during our initial practice match here.

“More change in mindset than technical — which every batter does without saying much.”

“He is in a mindset where he wants to give little time to the wicket. As I said before, his skill is such that he can convert any loose ball into a boundary.