India's assistant coach Abhishek Nayar felt the greatest of players go through a lull sometimes and it's important to be patient with the likes of skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
"As far as Rohit and Kohli are concerned, I've only seen nothing but love for them. There are times when a top player who has been through a journey goes through a lull, a lot of times it is about giving them that space and trusting that they will come back. Everyone works very hard and everyone is looking to do well. Whether you are a Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma or someone as young as Shubman Gill. The effort is there, sometimes you have to be a little patient even with the greatest of players," Nayar added.
Nayar On Indian Team Management's Role When It Comes To Curating Pitches
Nayar revealed that the Indian team management has no role when it comes to curating pitches.
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"We wish we could curate pitches but we don't. Curators do. Whatever we are provided with, we go ahead and play on it, be it a pitch that seams or turns. As cricketers, we try and play on what we are provided with and not try to get conditions we want,” he stated.
The assistant coach stated he was looking forward to the challenge at Wankhede but gave credit to the visitors for their ability to counter-spin bowling. "Firstly, I would give a lot of credit to NZ for the way they have played and countered spin. I feel not very different.
"Wankhede obviously with red soil. The last time we played on red soil was in Chennai. A lot of guys have played their cricket here and understand how these conditions are. It's more about self-reflection at this level for every player to go in and understand their game plans. From a coaching standpoint, it's more about providing information on conditions. There are areas where we have scored runs and understanding that is important. These two days of discussion we have had and just to put that into practice would be key and be in a position to implement it come game day," Nayar said.
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Nayar also felt there are two sides to being aggressive and one has to take the downside too sometimes. "To think firstly it's a bit of a harsh statement (inability to counter spin). Credit to NZ, they exploited the conditions well. They were very consistent. When we talk about playing aggressive cricket and showing intent. It may not work out for you all the time. I think Gauti bhai said this before when you get games like the Bangladesh game where you get the fastest 50, 100, 150, 200, 250. There are going to be days when it doesn't look as good as it should be fruitful. It is important to stick to one's belief systems as a team or as an individual because you are trying to play cricket in a certain way and push yourself out of your comfort zone. Sometimes, the results may not go in your favour but if you are patient enough, when that upward curve hits the team or an individual, your purple patch lasts really long.
The former Mumbai player also explained that every game was important as far as the team was concerned. "Whenever you are playing for India, you've got this jersey on. The match is on. Every match is important, every week is critical. We have not been narrow-minded in thinking about the WTC. We are just focused on this game at the Wankhede. Hopefully, the conditions will be kind to me and the team as well Approach will be very simple. Stay in the present and take it as it comes. Day by day if we can overcome this hurdle, it will be one step further to where this team wants to go eventually,” he stated.
The India assistant coach also felt having Mumbai players in the team certainly is an advantage but it all comes down to how they perform on match day. " I feel home conditions, sometimes give you an advantage in having conversations with the group. Sarfu (Sarfaraz Khan) has got a lot of runs here.”