Since the Super 4 of the Asian Cup, India has played six T20Is and won three and lost three.
However, all three losses – against Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Australia – came by defending goals.
Contrary to Rathour’s claims, none of the members of the Indian squad, who spoke to the media after the defeats to Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Dubai, blamed the dew factor which makes defense difficult.
“We are working on that area to improve the defense of the targets. But to be honest with our bowlers, throwing plays a fundamental role and whenever we have not been able to defend it is where it is. been dew, so it gets easier to chase, ”Rathour said on the eve of the first T20I against South Africa here on Wednesday.
While Rathour might have referred to the match against Australia at Mohali, where India couldn’t protect a goal of over 200, he was sympathetic to bowlers despite the kind of criticism they have faced recently.
“I won’t be hard on the bowlers because they have been able to push the game to the last, every time, when we’re trying to defend. It’s a ball here and there, but obviously we’re doing pretty well, but hopefully it’ll get better. “said the former India Test forerunner.
The batting coach also disagreed that India were not setting big enough goals when asked to bat first.
Asked if the batters in the middle decide on a possible goal, the coach replied: “It definitely depends on the surface we are playing on, but when you say we weren’t able to score good results, I disagree with that.
“I think beating first was one of the concerns during the last T20 World Cup, but since then we have achieved par or par plus scores every time we have beaten first. So I don’t think that’s a problem.”
Bowling players know their plans
The batting coach also said that team management never seeks to coach people who play international cricket, but rather encourages them to support their own strengths.
Someone like Arshdeep Singh is always told to follow his own plans.
“At this level, we are not telling them anything. Arsh (Arshdeep Singh) has done very well in IPL in death overs, so we only support them in following the plans. They know where to pitch to each hitter and they follow their plans.” said.
“We expect them (bowling units) to support their strengths. There are no specific areas where I want Arshdeep to improve and have the composure to handle the pressure in difficult conditions.”
Change in the philosophy of batting
KL Rahul’s top three Indians, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have received a lot of criticism for their outdated approach in T20I, but Rathour is happy with the change in mindset since the last ICC tournament.
“There is a very visible change in the way we are batting. The approach has changed. We are trying to be more aggressive, we are playing with better strike rates and more intent, this is quite evident. As a batting unit, we have well done.”
Adapting to Australian conditions is a challenge
While giving optimum playing time to first team holders in the T20 World Cup is a priority, the other challenge will be adapting to Australian conditions.
“Adapting to Australian conditions will be the biggest challenge we have. We want to give as many opportunities as possible to whoever plays the World Cup, but how that happens depends on the game situation.”
