World Test Championship Final: 250 will be reasonable first innings score, says visiting batting coach Rathour

India ended the curtailed second day on 146 for 3 with Virat Kohli batting on 44 off 124 balls in company of Ajinkya Rahane 29 not out off 79 balls.

|Jun 20, 2021, 08:47:55 IST

Southampton: Batting coach Vikram Rathour on Saturday said that a first innings score of 250-plus will put India in a fighting position against New Zealand, keeping the prevailing conditions in mind during the ongoing World Test Championship final.India ended the curtailed second day on 146 for 3 with Virat Kohli batting on 44 off 124 balls in company of Ajinkya Rahane 29 not out off 79 balls.[caption id="attachment_9734841" align="alignnone" width="640"] India batting coach Vikram Rathour with captain Virat Kohli. AP[/caption]"We would like to score as many runs as possible but 250 plus will be a reasonable score in these conditions," Rathour said at the day end press conference.The batting coach lauded openers Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma for seeing off the new ball in an admirable manner as they played positively to add 62 runs.Asked if taking stance outside the crease was to counter swing or play more attacking shots, Rathour said, "Batting is about scoring runs. Rohit and Gill showed a lot of intent and looked to score wherever they can."Hats off to Virat and Rahane for the manner in which they batted but a lot of credit should also got to the openers."The former India opener feels that once the Dukes ball got a tad older, it started swinging much more and hence scoring runs became a bit difficult than what it was when the openers were batting."I think when the ball got a bit older, it started swinging more. Also the New Zealand pacers hit good areas during the second session."Rathour also brushed aside assertions that Cheteshwar Pujara is facing some technical problems as he has now been hit at least four times on the helmet in recent Test matches."We are not really concerned and he is a good player. I don't think pace is an issue with him. Till he batted, he looked solid and he has a role to play in the team."Today also, he played 50 odd balls. He just needs to convert those starts. It's going to happen very soon," he signed off.

Rohit Sharma finally responds to growing speculation over his India future: 'Let the noise be there'

India ODI opener Rohit Sharma silenced speculation about his future with a record‑breaking performance at Lord’s Cricket Ground. HE became the first Indian cricketer to score an ODI century at the iconic venue.

2 min read

Shubman Gill pins India's loss on death-over lapses after England run riot: 'We gave away lot of runs'

India ODI captain Shubman Gill rued over the team's shortcomings in the third match against England. India suffered a 2-1 defeat to the Three Lions in the one-day series.

1 min read

Rohit shines with historic Lord's ton, but England seal series 2-1

With his back against the wall and an illustrious career on the line, Rohit Sharma silenced his critics the only way he can, smashing one of his most celebrated centuries in recent memory, though it wasn't enough to prevent a 27run defeat in the third ODI against England, as India surrendered the series 12 here Sunday

4 min read

India and England players don black armbands, observe minute's silence at Lord's to honour Sir Garfield Sobers

Players of India and England wore black armbands and held a minute's silence at Lord’s Cricket Ground ahead of the third ODI to honour legendary West Indies all‑rounder Sir Garfield Sobers.

1 min read

India coach shrugs off Rohit Sharma form woes amid speculation on ODI future: 'He brings that calmness'

India bowling coach Morne Morkel shrugged off any form-related concern over former India his captain Rohit Sharma after he failed to put up impactful knocks in past two matches.