The batsmen have to take into consideration that when the pitch is assisting bowlers and there is swing around, you are never set. Judging from a couple of dismissals today, it seemed like the players relaxed a touch.
Dilip Vengsarkar
For someone who has scored three consecutive Test centuries at Lord's, it must have been hard for Dilip Vengsarkar to watch the Indian batsmen struggle at the spiritual home of cricket yesterday. Vengsarkar managed to spare a day to watch Day Four of the second Test while on his European holiday, but it was not a day to remember as the Indians were at the receiving end yet again.
Sure, the conditions were not suited to fluent batting, but Vengsarkar expected a better showing. "Conditions might be difficult to bat in the first session of play and that generally only happens in England. But then, one has to adapt very quickly. The team has been here for over a month and I'm surprised they are making the same mistakes again and again," said Vengsarkar, who made his Lord's centuries in 1979, 1982 and 1986. The last one was a match-winning effort and it resulted in India's first ever Test win at Lord's.
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The former India captain was still optimistic, but indicated that it will take some effort to get back on track. He said: "I hope they improve from the third Test. We are the No. 1 Test team in the world, we have tremendous potential. We must play to that level. So far, we are under-performing and not reaching that potential.
"In English conditions you have to be extremely watchful because the ball moves so much. You cannot afford to relax for even one ball, especially when it is like this [cloudy and overcast]. The batsmen have to take into consideration that when the pitch is assisting bowlers and there is swing around, you are never set. Judging from a couple of dismissals today, it seemed like the players relaxed a touch."
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