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Former Indian skipper and legendary batter Sunil Gavaskar gave his opinion on what was the best possible technique for batters to play on turning tracks. The Indian batters were absolutely blown away by the Australian spinners in the first innings of the Indore Test on a rank-turner, which led to their defeat.
With the fourth Test in Ahmedabad set to begin on Thursday (March 9), Gavaskar opened up on the adjustments that the hosts can make to their batting technique in order to give themselves a better chance of surviving on such pitches.
Here's what Sunil Gavaskar told The Indian Express:
“Just like a great wicketkeeper who gets up with the bounce, a batsman, if he crouches just a little bit – not too low – where his head is more in line with the delivery angle, he would get to know which one to play. How far to go forward or is it better to go on the back foot.
"Standing upright does not give that advantage on turners. They would be able to meet the deviation and bounce better if you crouch a little like a keeper."
Sunil Gavaskar on his final knock in Test cricket against Pakistan
Even in the twilight of his career, Sunil Gavaskar was on top of his game and his sensational knock in his final Test against Pakistan in 1987 proved it. Although Pakistan won that game by 16 runs, Gavaskar played a marathon knock of 264 balls and scored 96 runs on a turning track.
The legendary batter spoke about how he adjusted his bottom hand at times to ensure he kept the Pakistan close-in fielders at bay. He stated:
"Javed Miandad is standing at silly point ready to take anything. A grip where you hold the bat a little bit higher is a big plus on such pitches. When you drive, you are more likely not to hit it in the air.
"When you are defending, you slide the bottom hand a little bit down towards the shoulder of the bat – particularly when defending off the back foot, you are making sure the ball doesn’t jump up."
The Indian batters will need to put up an inspiring performance in Ahmedabad to ensure that they win the Test and the series and qualify for the World Test Championship final in June.
