Dilip Vengsarkar's advice to Virat Kohli & team ahead of WTC final and England series

Former India cricketer Dilip Vengsarkar has a piece of advice for Indian batsmen who have travelled to the United Kingdom for the upcoming WTC final and the subsequent Test series against England. Vengsarkar said that once the players adapt to conditions in England they need to stay side-on to counter movement off the pitches. Vengsarkar said that batsmen must not go for big drives and instead focus on just pushing the ball. The 65-year-old added that it's important for batters to remain careful because the constant change in conditions means that they are never settled as such. 

Vengsarkar, while speaking to Khaleej Times, said once the players adapt to the conditions in England, it is important to stay side-on while batting because if you go for big drives the risk of getting out never dies down. The former cricketer said that the ball moves quite a bit in England and if batsmen are going to start with big drives there is the risk that they might end up getting out at the slip. Vengsarkar added that even if batsmen see a half volley being delivered by bowlers they got to suppress the urge to go for big drives and instead just push the ball. He said that conditions keep changing constantly in England as sometimes the pitches favour the bowlers and suddenly if there's sunshine, the batters get an opportunity to play more freely.

'Organise more practice matches'

Vengsarkar further advised the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to organise practice matches for the visiting team so they could get acclimatized before the key event. Vengsarkar said that BCCI should organise more practice matches to help players get used to the conditions. The 1983 World Cup-winning batsman added that the lack of practice matches has been a major problem for the past 10 years. If players get just one practice match before the series, they struggle in the first match. 

The Indian team arrived in the United Kingdom on June 3 to take part in the upcoming World Test Championship (WTC) final against New Zealand. The inaugural edition of the WTC final will take place in Southampton, starting June 18. India is also slated to play a five-match Test series against England between August and September. 

IMAGE: PTI