Ind vs Eng: Hardik Pandya, Ashwin could have done more, says Sanjay Bangar

India batting coach Sanjay Bangar feels Hardik Pandya and Ravichandran Ashwin were guilty of giving away their wickets rather softly in the fourth Test against England in which the team let slip a strong position owing to a middleorder collapseBangar said India could have been in a better position had Pandya and Ashwin applied themselves a little more India were all out for 273 on Friday in response to Englands 246 A couple of dismissals were really really soft Hardik was not really on top of the ball while driving and Ashwin attempted that reverse sweep at a pretty early stage of his innings Had he been set and been batting with the tail one could have thought that the shot was on Bangar said at the end of days playWhile Ashwin was dismissed for 1 Pandya got out after adding just four runs to the total at that point in time wherein Pujara was going so well they could have done those things differently As professional cricketers we practice for all we are likely to encounter Our cricket was prepared for all sorts of eventuality It was not only about seam bowling we had also done practice and spoken about how the spin challenge we might encounter he addedMoeen Ali spun England into contention on a fluctuating day with five wickets At 142 for 2 India were wellplaced to build a healthy firstinnings lead having bowled England out for 246 But Sam Curran took the vital wicket of Virat Kohli before offspinner Ali ripped through the middleorder with a stunning spellChesteshwar Pujara however rose to the occasion as he slammed a majestic ton 132 not out that gave India a lead of 27 runs Pujara batted brilliantly with the tail and added close to 80 runs with Ishant Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah when the Indian innings was in tatters His effort received praise from Bangar who said that Pujaras innings was a great mix of caution and aggressionRight from the first time he got to bat at Lords to the way he batted in Nottingham he carried that to here I think he showed a lot of composure clarity of thought and great discipline in the judgment outside offstump as well as the way he executed the shots because you saw a great mix of caution and aggressionIt showed another facet of his batsmanship He showed us what the limbs of his body could do when he was batting with the tail All in all it could have been a satisfying effort for him Asked about the dropping of Pujara in the first Test at Edgbaston Bangar said Birmingham is too much in the past He was coming off a rough patch and also he hadnt really scored as many runs as hed have liked in the last 1011 innings for IndiaHe was struggling certain areas had to be worked on He had to get his balance right and also had to get his footwork right Those were the two areas we worked on as a supportstaff group including Ravi Shastri and myself Its heartening the work he put in was duly rewardedBangar hoped that Pujara would continue his good form in the seriesOnce he gets on a roll he generally makes sure he carries on in that fashion His hunger for runs is wellknown and hes known to play long innings It augurs well for the Indian team With three innings remaining if he continues in this fashion it will put the team in winning positions he saidThe batting coach also had words of appreciation for Jasprit Bumrah and Ishant Sharma for staying put with Pujara to help India take the lead Losing wicket at the stroke of tea was a setback and then again three in a trot in the span of 15 runs we lost four wickets From a position of strength we were staring at conceding a lead Credit to Bumrah and Ishant they hung in negotiated the spinners really well and got us to a decent lead I should sayAlso Read Ind Vs Eng Cheteshwar Pujaras Masterful Hundred Helps India Get 27 Runs LeadCatch up on all the latest sports news and updates here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updatesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Except for the change in headline the story has been provided ASIS AS AVAILABLE without any verification or editing from our side Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever