For long, India has faced some trouble in Tests, and some specific areas remain unaddressed even after so many years. Even though the side is one of the best in the world, they suffer usually, when the batters just can’t chip in as part-time bowlers, and vice versa. Even the bowlers, despite their best efforts, somehow fall short of getting some crucial runs.
Batters who bowl, bowlers who bat — win matches
Former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh’s father Yograj Singh has spoken about this issue, exclusively to InsideSport. “Even in England, we could have won 5-0 if Arshdeep was there in the squad. We could have won the series 3-2, had we not lost at Lord’s by 21 runs. They (the tail-enders) could not win it, they could not achieve it, because we never give them a chance with the bat.”
Yograj Singh spoke about the Sourav Ganguly era, where the batters and bowlers could contribute in each other’s departments as well, and that was the reason, why that team was mighty successful. “If we can make all-rounders (out of bowlers), then our team, we can once again be like a Sourav Ganguly team. What Sourav did when he was captain, he made a No.7 ranked team to No.1 team, in just about five years time.
Yograj Singh wants Bumrah & Co. to be all-rounders
“Then we destroyed the team after 2011. In that team, you had Yuvi, Viru, Sachin and Sourav who could bowl, these guys picked up 100-100 wickets. We should tell our batsmen that, ‘Tum log ball daalo yaar’. Bowl to the tailenders for an hour,” he added. He also highlighted the issue of the all-rounders.
“The problem with the Indian squad, at the moment, is that we are not looking to make the bowlers into all-rounders. Kapil Dev was never given batting in the nets, I was yelling at the top of my voice, ‘Kapil ko batting karao’. At that time, he used to come in at No.11, score 70-80 runs, so no one was looking ahead.
“Nowadays, Bumrah and all these bowlers, what you call them tail enders, I don’t. You are not looking ahead that they can be groomed into very very good all-rounders. If you work with them, make them bat in the nets for 1-2 hours daily after the session, I think that could be the best thing that could happen,” Yograj said.
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