It's tough, it's test cricket

Currently Indian cricket on tour is the tale of two teams one female gliding smoothly into the T20 World Cup semifinals in Australia while the other one male unexpectedly battles head winds in New ZealandThe women have ridden on the back of diminutive legspinner Poonam Yadav who has helped India defeat two tough opponents in Australia and New Zealand They now have the comfort of knowing theyll be in a semifinal in Sydney next week but facing an opponent as yet unknownFor the men the problems started in the ODI section of the tour and theyve continued in the Test series It may just be coincidence but the Indian men havent won since aggressive opener Rohit Sharma limped off the Bay Oval in their fifth successive T20 victoryPerhaps it was Rohits absence through injury that prompted an unusual comment from captain Virat Kohli following Indias comprehensive defeat in the first Test The articulate Kohli said in part I dont think being cautious or wary will help because you might stop playing your shotsKohlis comments on batting are generally admirable especially his reason for not adopting innovative shots in short form matches so they dont infiltrate his Test match style However theres a time for aggression and theres also occasionally a requirement to bat cautiously in Test cricketNew Zealand much like Englands seaming surfaces is a place where caution is required more often than in Australia where most pitches are extremely true Whatever the cause at the Basin Reserve it was an abysmal batting effort from the number one ranked Test team since they failed to reach 200 in either inningsThe batsman with the lowest strike rate in each innings was the obdurate Cheteshwar Pujara Its hard to be critical of a number three who was heavily involved in India beating Australia in 201819 with some lengthy stays at the crease anchoring the inningsGet the balance rightPlacing a batting order is not an alternative to playing a game of pin the tail on the donkey Its important to get the balance right and to place players in a position where they are comfortable and hence more likely to succeedPujara normally bats behind Rohit and Mayank Agarwal and ahead of Kohli Thats an adequate amount of stroke play surrounding Pujara and as a judicious shot maker hes ideal at three for balance Mind you Pujara needs to be careful he doesnt slip into net practice mode and forget that the object in a match is to score runs regularlyThe other thing that Pujara has to be aware ofmdashbatting in the midst of stroke makersmdashis not keeping them becalmed at the nonstrikers end for long periods In Christchurch he found the ideal balance of caution mixed with aggression With Rohit absent through injury it fell to the talented and audacious Prithvi Shaw to open the batting Theres no doubting Shaws precocious talent but he needs to learn that there are times for caution against good bowlingAll his innings in both ODIs and the Tests in New Zealand have been sprinkled with sparkling boundaries and hes got away to a start each time but hasnt managed a big score He needs to understand that a quickfire 20 at the right time might win a T20 encounter but dismissal at that stage of a Test innings can be extremely costly Things looked more promising after a flurry of boundaries in Christchurch but again he was dismissed at an inopportune timeA repeat at ChristchurchNeeding to unearth the formula for success and rebound quickly India were again made to struggle in Christchurch Apart from needing a victory to level the series and restore confidence theres an important psychological reason for righting the shipIndia has a tough tour of Australia looming next summer and New Zealand were just obliterated by them under their home conditions If the Indian men want to replicate the success their female counterparts are currently enjoying in Australia theyll need to rediscover the art of amassing matchwinning scoresCatch up on all the latest sports news and updates hereAlso download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates