There is so much spin on offer: Abhishek

Relatively easy to score against the new ball: Abhishek

We lost quite a few wickets in a bundle: Abhishek

After the highs of the 2011 World Cup victory in April, India faced a 4-0 loss to England in the month of July. History seems to have repeated with India’s possibility of a series win against Sri Lanka being ruled out after their loss in the 2nd ODI. “Was it a shock? I would say yes, there is a surprise. But you anticipate and understand that in these conditions the game can turn on its head because there is so much spin on offer. Even if you look at the last game, it was relatively easy to score against the new ball. As the ball got older, the conditions when batting second got slightly tougher. Sometimes in tough conditions, especially in the 50-over format, this happens,” Indian assistant coach Abhishek Nayar said after India’s loss. 

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Questions have been raised on the Indian middle order’s ability to handle spin. Whether India went into the tournament with a mismatched combination is also an aspect that needs enquiry. We want to go back and understand, and rectify, why it happened twice in a row. “The day before yesterday, we were able to stitch partnerships. But today we lost quite a few wickets in a bundle,” Nayar added.