India have a lot of work to do in Tests: Mohinder Amarnath

NEW DELHI: Former India allrounder Mohinder Amarnath has raised concerns over India’s performances in the longer format, particularly abroad. In South Africa, India lost the Test series 1-2, and although the ODI and T20I series were captured without much fuss, Amarnath believed the team needs to tick a few more boxes in Tests if they are to succeed in England and Australia later this year.
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“India have done well in the shorter format of the game but Virat and his boys, when they tour England and Australia later in the year, have a lot of work to do in the longer format,” Amarnath, who scored 4378 Test runs for India in 69 games, wrote in his column for TOI.“The batting has to come good overseas if they are to become a real champion No. 1 team in the world. For now, it is on to a short T20 international tri-series in Sri Lanka, before the razzle-dazzle of the IPL.”
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That being said, Amarnath lauded the Indian team for bouncing back since losing the Test series. To win the third Test and carrying forward the winning mentality in the limited-overs is a testament to the fact that in Kohli, India have a fabulous captain who always leads from the front.
“What a wonderful way for India to close out their tour of South Africa. After a not so impressive beginning in the Tests, they ended on a high, not just with a thriller of a T20 match to clinch the series, but also by winning the one-dayers. It seemed like winning that third Test galvanised the boys into bringing their best on to the field thereafter,” Amarnath said.
“Throughout, they were led brilliantly from the front by their effusive and combative captain, Virat Kohli. He has had a superb series, ending as the overall top scorer in both the Tests and the one-dayers. In the Tests, he showed resolve and technique and held his nerve in conditions which were difficult. The rest of the Indian batsmen struggled, but so did the South Africans, while the pitches that were prepared helped both bowling units to keep runs at bay. But once they arrived at the shorter formats, India showed just why they are a top one-day side.”
The one aspect that stood out for India during the entire tour was their bowling. While in the Test series, it were pacers Mohammad Shami and Jasprit Bumrah who were remarkable, the wrist-spinning pair of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav flummoxed the South Africans in ODIs and T20Is.
“India’s bowlers shone right through. As I said in the beginning, I knew the bowlers would do well; it was the batting that had me worried. They came through in the end, again with a great performance from Virat right through. The only slightly worrying aspect is the middle order, and the Indian think tank really needs to settle that area in the near future,” Amarnath pointed out.
“To come back to the bowlers, they were outstanding. Jasprit Bumrah was impressive in the Tests, showing us that he is as good a bowler in the longer format of the game as he is in the shorter. And I feel that he will be successful in all conditions around the world because of the line and length he bowls. And of course, the decision to pick Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav, both wrist spinners, for the ODIs proved to be a successful one. The South African batsmen just could not get to grips with the spin, and the pace department, led by Bhuvneshwar, put enough pressure on them to keep India on top.”