India's Batting Group Focuses on Sweep Shot and Footwork Ahead of Sri Lanka Test Series
Having flown in 10 days ahead of the first Test in Galle, India begin their preparations for a crucial series with a warm-up fixture against SLC XI at Colombo’s NCC, where the focus lies firmly on the batting group. Two things sit at the top of their priority list: use the sweep shot, and use the feet. In the recent home series debacles against New Zealand and South Africa, where they were whitewashed in their own backyard, the failure of the batsmen to adjust to spin-friendly conditions led to their downfall. Later next week, at Galle and Colombo, they are expected to face a similar trial by spin against a strong Sri Lanka spin attack. As India began their preparations in Colombo with a couple of practice sessions, the message from head coach Gautam Gambhir was clear. “Come 15th morning, whether we are batting first, whether we are bowling first, we’re absolutely ready with every answer, every question that’s thrown at us and every answer we are ready to give. So make sure we tick all the boxes from now on,” he told BCCI.tv. This may sound elementary in spin-friendly conditions, but it is exactly what this batting group has failed to apply in the middle, allowing the spinners to tie them down to the crease and lead them into a shell from which they haven’t found a way out. Using the sweep and the feet to get down the track isn’t a blind strategy or a last resort. In Sri Lanka, batsmen who have succeeded over the past decade have relied on these factors to great effect. Steve Smith and Cheteshwar Pujara used their feet to smother the turn and disrupt the length of the host spinners; Usman Khawaja and Alex Carey relied extensively on the sweep, reverse-sweep included, on tracks that aided turn. Even Sri Lankan batsmen, who aren’t fluent when it comes to using their feet, have preferred the sweep, with Dinesh Chandimal, against India at Galle in 2015, and Kusal Mendis being cases in point. The reasons to use these shots are manifold, but the most important is that they ensure batsmen aren’t tied up at one end, which ultimately gives the spinners more opportunity to lay a trap. “When the ball is spinning, you can’t play straight,” former India batsman Robin Singh says. “The guard you take becomes important, and you have to change through the course of a Test depending on how much it is turning. The key element for a batsman is to get off the strike.” It is simple, but it is exactly what India’s batting group failed to do against South Africa. Once the opponent covered their scoring pockets, Indian batsmen were unable to find certain areas, in particular the square on either side, preferring to wait for loose deliveries to arrive. On tracks where a ball with your name can arrive at any moment, that played into the hands of the opposition. Both Simon Harmer and Ajaz Patel happily accepted the generosity of the Indian batsmen. Which is why, ahead of the Sri Lanka Test, a major part of the Indian batsmen’s homework has been on using the sweep against left-arm spinners and the feet against off-spinners, to reduce the risk factor. In Prabath Jayasuriya, they face a left-arm spinner who relentlessly attacks the stumps. There is Dhananjaya de Silva’s off-spin to handle, alongside Ramesh Mendis and the ambidextrous Kamindu Mendis. Beyond them, Sri Lanka can always produce a gem out of nowhere for the novelty factor. “If a left-arm spinner is bowling quick, you need to be aggressive against him and make him change the length. If you use the feet, he will alter the trajectory. And when someone is flighting the ball, if you don’t use feet, you become tentative. You won’t be defending confidently. So when you use the feet, you will ensure the turn is taken care of, and you can play against or with the spin,” Robin says. Among the current crop of Indian batsmen, few have been effective when it comes to using their feet against spin. Rishabh Pant has been an exception, but beyond him it is only KL Rahul who has shown the willingness to step out. That is why even the sweep shot has been used as another fall-back option, but here again, India’s batting group rarely uses the shot. Robin also has advice on how to play the sweep. “In Sri Lanka the bounce is usually low. If you want to sweep, do it against a length delivery in front of the square. If you stretch forward and play in front of square, you are taking LBW out of the equation. If not, play it from outside off stump, because with the spin, it will take the ball into the gaps. As a batsman, have your own plans. When the ball is turning a lot, you can play the pull or a lot of shots on the back foot. You should have multiple options. If you don’t use your feet, or you don’t use both sides of the wicket, your options reduce.” India are aware that if they end up making the same mistakes in a tight Test, the result can go either way. Waiting patiently to capitalise on loose deliveries won’t be an option. In matches decided by 50 or 60 runs, the sweep and the feet may be the only difference that matters.
