NEW DELHI: Former India batsman Ambati Rayudu admitted he was “not really surprised” by India’s stunning 0-2 T20I series loss to Ireland, saying the reigning world champions were simply not ready for vastly different conditions after a high-scoring Indian Premier League season.India, led by Shreyas Iyer, suffered a historic series loss after losing the second T20I by one run in Belfast with their players struggling to adjust to the slow two-pace surfaces.“No, I’m not surprised because I don’t think they were prepared well enough for the conditions they faced,” Rayudu told PTI. “It’s always very, very difficult to go from really flat tracks to slightly spongy passages that also have some lateral movement.”The former India international felt the transition from batting-friendly IPL pitches to Test conditions in Ireland exposed the technical flaws within the batting unit.“Most guys are so used to those really quick swings of the bat, so the game between the game and swing control is a big concern,” the 40-year-old explained.
Rayudu identifies Tilak’s challenge, calls for patience with Sooryavanshi
Rayudu also highlighted an area that Indian vice-captain Tilak Varma needs to improve despite his fighting 55 in the second T20I.“More than his mental approach, his game against slow bowling on slow surfaces was kind of a struggle for a while,” Rayudu said. “Whenever he runs into the wickets where the ball doesn’t really get to the bat, that’s where we’ve seen him struggle a bit to pick up the pace.”According to Rayudu, Tilak’s reluctance to use his legs against spin limits his scoring options on slower tracks.“Against spinners, he much prefers to approach the boundaries of the square… he doesn’t use his feet as much. He doesn’t sweep the ball around the court and has a lot of shots that he doesn’t make in a conventional way. “If he improves that side of his game, picking up the tempo will be secondary, a byproduct of that,” he explained.The former Chennai Super Kings batsman also joined the growing calls for 15-year-old batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to make his debut for India after he was left out of both the games against Ireland.“It’s always good to go with your experienced rookies who have been really good (and) won the World Cup. Giving them an edge, enough opportunities is very, very important,” Rayudu said.“He is experiencing what the Indian dressing room is like, what he can expect, what his role has to be. So there are so many things he will learn on this tour, which will help him in the end. But I wouldn’t be too quick to get him in a bilateral just because we haven’t won a few games,” he added.Despite India’s disappointing results, Rayudu believes the upcoming five-match T20I series in England will present a completely different challenge.“I wouldn’t really read too much into it because when we go to England, those wickets are far, far better than what they have faced here,” he said, expressing his belief that the conditions would suit India’s style of batting better.
