Indian players satisfied with DRS, says Anil Kumble. Image Source: twitter[/caption]Internet Desk: India needs a settled opening pair feels teams Head coach Anil Kumble. He stressed the need for a settled opening combination at a press interaction ahead of the fourth Test at the Wankhede Stadium, starting at Mumbai on Thursday. India fielded three different opening pairs during the New Zealand series and when it toured the West Indies.
“The situation is due to injuries which are not in our control, and are part and parcel of the game. Unfortunately, KL Rahul got hit while fielding in Vizag. Ideally, Vijay and Rahul are the settled opening pair,” Kumble said.
“But, under the circumstances we’ve done really well. Parthiv came in the last game and did a fantastic job. I’m sure Rahul will have a hit today and he should be fine soon.”
Parthiv Patel, who made a comeback into the Test team after a gap of eight years, scored 42 and 67 not out in India’s victory against England in Mohali.
The former Indian captain brushed off criticisms, from certain quarters, that the team is plagued by injuries because the players exert themselves too much in the gym. “All I can say is the fitness parameters of the current Indian team are probably the best it has ever been. I’ve played in the 90s where fitness and strength conditioning was a personal choice and not a team choice. In the 2000s the culture changed and you could see the difference. Now, it is part and parcel of modern cricket".
Kumble also played his part in bringing India on board the DRS system, a stance it has countered ever since it first experienced the system in the Sri Lanka tour of 2009.
“Yeah, it’s been really good. Overall, the players have been satisfied with the outcome. What is really important is whether we took the right decision at the point of time. And I think we’ve done that in the last three Test matches. It certainly has added to the balance you expect in international cricket.”
Kumble feels that it is "unfair" to pinpoint senior opener Murali Vijay's recent spate of dismissals to "short deliveries" as his "weakness".
"Vijay has been one of our most consistent batsmen in the last couple of years. He has started off the series very well with a 100 at Rajkot and yes, he has got out to similar deliveries, which probably you can start pinpointing as his weakness, but I don't think that's fair. He is someone we believe is just round the corner to get a big score," Kumble was firmly behind the seasoned opener.
The coach said that the team management is trying to help him out during nets, but there was no need to delve deeper into the issue.
"When we go out there at the nets, we try and help him (Vijay) with that kind of delivery. But I don't think we need to go too deep into why he's getting out that way. It's just a matter of time where he will start scoring runs. We certainly believe it's just round the corner."
Kumble also appreciated Virat Kohli for his field placements and the bowlers for outwitting the England batsmen and ensuring India’s 2-0 lead in the current series. “I think it’s a tribute to our bowling attack and the field placements Virat has set. All the five bowlers have had a significant role in all the matches. We’ve seen only one five for this series and that goes to show that all the bowlers have contributed really well.
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